AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

By:  Lisa  Rated PG with some sections PG-13

It was a quiet afternoon about a week before Halloween at the Monkees’ pad. Micky and Davy were watching TV. Peter was decorating the pad with paper ghosts and Mike was tuning his guitar. They were just doing ordinary things, but they were no longer just ordinary people. About six months ago, the four musicians found a young woman named Elizabeth lying unconscious on the beach outside their beach house. It turned out she was an angel from God and soon she had them on an adventure they still had trouble believing had happened. But her presence had changed them. No longer did they just go through life aimlessly, going from one gig to another, they had discovered the love of the Lord. Now, they tried to live their lives as Jesus had with love for their fellow man. The change was noticed by some of their friends and acquaintances who wondered, even laughed at, their sudden out-of-character ways.

But the Monkees did not care.

In fact, they laughed at the hypocrisy that some of them showed.

There were other, less noticeable changes to them as well. As a gift, Elizabeth gave them the ability to speak Hebrew. During the last six months, there had been some bad times, times when they wondered if God was with them, but Elizabeth, now allowed by God to stay in Los Angeles, came around often to give encouragement and advice.
Right now, they had just finished rehearsing and were taking a break. Suddenly, Mike tuned a guitar string a little too tight and it snapped, cutting his hand. He let out a curse.
“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, Mike.” Peter told him mildly.
“I doubt the Lord ever cut his hand on a guitar string,” Mike snarled.
“No, he was just crucified.” Davy replied looking over from the TV.
“What?” Mike asked
“Jesus suffered worse than a cut hand, but didn’t curse his tormentors.” Davy said, “Instead, he begged his father to forgive them.”
Mike let out a sigh as he went over to the sink to wash his hand. “I know, we were there, remember?”
The others nodded their heads. Mike was referring to the time when Elizabeth took them back in time to stop Dr. Chronos from preventing Jesus from being crucified. They had succeeded in keeping things on track and Elizabeth was allowed to stay in the area to help those in need.
“That reminds me of our favorite angel,” Peter said, “I haven’t seen her in several weeks.”
Micky sighed. “Neither have I.”
Davy looked sadly over at his friend. He and the others knew Micky and Elizabeth loved each other very much, but because of what Elizabeth was, they would never be able to have a relationship like others.
“Elizabeth has her assignments, Mick.” Davy finally said, “She told us she could be gone for long periods of time.”
Micky nodded his head.
“You’re right, Davy.” Micky replied, “Even though she’s an angel, I still worry about her.”
“We all do.” Mike said, joining him and Davy. His hand was now bandaged.
“That’s sweet of you guys.” A voice said quietly a few feet away.
The Monkees spun around. They knew that voice!
“Elizabeth?!” Micky exclaimed.
“Right here, Micky!” Elizabeth replied as she slowly appeared in front of him. It was still a little jarring for her friends to see her appear at once, so she always let them know she was there first.
A few seconds later, Elizabeth was totally formed in front of them. She still had short blond hair and was wearing jeans and a blue top. She gave them a big smile.
“Peace be with you.” She said.
“And also with you.” The Monkees replied. This greeting was a tradition Elizabeth started whenever she visited the pad.
Then one by one, the Monkees gave Elizabeth a hug. Micky waited until last so he could give her a big hug and kiss. She tousled his curly hair.
“So how are things going?” She asked the group as they all sat down in the living room. Micky and the angel sat together and held hands.
“Oh, fine, Elizabeth.” Mike said, “We’ve been working pretty steady.”
“Did a benefit for the St. Paul’s church youth group.” Peter added.
“Then we had an audition for The Fine Music Company.” Davy said.
“But we didn’t get a contract.” Micky added, a little angrily. “We gave it our all that night, and the exec didn’t even thank us for coming.”
The angel gave Micky a little smile. “You didn’t call fire and brimstone down on him did you?”
“No, but...” Micky trailed off. He had been angry over their rejection and said a few things he should not have to his friends later.
Mike looked over at the drummer. “Micky, we said it was ok, we forgive you for what you said.”
“I know, Mike, it’s just that I feel like I’m relapsing at times. Not acting the way I’m supposed to.”
“You’re human, Micky.” Elizabeth told him gently. “The Lord doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but you must continue to try to do better always.”
Micky gave the angel a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Elizabeth.”
“So this was an audition for a record contract?” She asked the others.
“Yeah, it could’ve been a ticket out of the club circuit.” Mike said. “We really prayed to get the contract, but ended up with nothing.”
“The Lord heard your prayers, my friends, and I know it can be hard when it seems he’s not listening, but he is and he will take care of you all.” Elizabeth said firmly.
The Monkees took heart at the angel’s encouragement.

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Down below, a malevolent being watched what was going on.
“If he doesn’t take care of you, I certainly will!” The evil figure dressed in black said as he watched what was happening above on a cauldron of fire. To many people on Earth, this man had the name of Mr. Zero, but what he really was was Satan, Prince of Darkness, the epitome of evil. He actually went by many names, but as long as he and his minions took souls away from God, he didn’t care what he was called.
Right now, he wasn’t in the best of moods. (He was only truly happy when someone fell away from religion and God.) The angel Elizabeth had just stopped several youths from signing their souls over with one of his demons (in disguise as a drug dealer) in exchange for all the drugs they could do forever. Then she just had to go visit those four simpletons, didn’t she? The four humans who had stopped his greatest plan ever, to stop the crucifixion of God’s son Jesus! Satan’s eyes turned red when he saw the five of them together. Oh, how he wished he could cast a fireball from here and turn them into ashes! But, whether he liked to admit it or not, there were limitations to his powers. He could induce the mortals, influence them, as he did with the driver of the car that killed Chronos’ wife years ago; but he couldn’t actually take any lives. That was something only God and God alone could do.
So, he had done what he could to discourage those mortals from following the Christian faith; the failed audition was just one example. But despite some bad times, the four of them stayed the course. He dispelled the vision in the cauldron with a ball of fire and sat down on his black iron throne. His demons could see their master was in yet another foul mood and stayed away from him. Satan glared at the opposite wall, which showed him all the souls screaming in pain, and sat in thought. He would have to be careful about how he handled these four mortals. One of them, named Mike, was a descendent of Saint Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. The descendents of the apostles had always given him trouble throughout the centuries. God had rewarded the eleven ‘good’ apostles with many descendents with extra abilities to resist evil and lead others away from sin; not to say there weren’t a few that failed to live that way, but for the most part they were a sharp stick in his side. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. were two of the more well known examples of those descendents leading others in the cause of good and justice. Of course, Satan had made sure the descendents of his servant Judas Iscariot numerous as well; Hitler and Stalin were two very good examples.
Satan thought back to the conversation the angel had just had with those mortals. They still seemed pretty upset over losing that audition. Like most mortals, they wanted to be famous, to go places. He smiled and began to walk around the dark room, his servants still keeping their distance. Suddenly he stopped and laughed as he formed a plan to bring those four meddling mortals to his side, whether they realized it or not! First, he would have to contact one of his servants working for him on the Earth above. Whom to get now? Oh, yes! This one would be the perfect servant to put his plan into action. It’s about time she started to pay back what she owed anyway.
Satan stood in the middle of the room and clapped his hands twice loudly.
There was a flash of red light and a cloud of black smoke as the person Satan summoned appeared to him.
She was a woman about forty years old with dark brown hair down to her shoulders, and was wearing a black dress with matching shoes. She seemed confused a moment, then realized where she was and began to tremble.
“Don’t worry, you’re not in any trouble.” Satan told her. “You weren’t in the middle of something important were you?” He asked, not really caring if she was or not.
The woman looked at Satan and bowed down, “Oh no, my master. I am always at your disposal.”
Satan smiled at that phrase and began to pace around the room. “You sold your soul to me in exchange that I make you wealthy and powerful, while you help bring others over to my side. I take it you’re still in charge of that company you formed, am I right?” Satan demanded.
“Yes, master.”
“Good. I’m going to ask you to do a little job for me. Take care of a little annoyance. Do it and I’ll make you a witch queen with your own coven to rule.”
“A witch queen?” She asked happily, “Just like Estella?”
“Yes, I have a few novice witches that need an experienced, guiding hand to lead them. I think you’ll do just fine. But fail me...” Satan let the sentence dangle.
“I won’t master. Command me.”
Satan gave a wicked smile to his servant. “This is what you will do.”

Back up on Earth, Micky and Elizabeth excused themselves from the others and went on to the beach. It was a beautiful day and they were happy to be in each other’s company. It wasn’t long before Micky’s playfulness came out and he began to chase the angel in and around a large pile of rocks. But every time Micky thought he caught Elizabeth, she would disappear, then reappear behind him and tickle his ribs! That of course made Micky chase her once again until he thought he had her and she’d disappear once more! “That’s not fair!” Micky exclaimed laughing and panting at the same time.
“Aw, getting tired?” Elizabeth teased, giggling. “C’mon, try and catch me!” The angel laughed and started to climb up on the rocks.
Micky gave her an evil smile and climbed up after her. He finally cornered her on a ledge, but when she disappeared again, Micky turned around and grabbed her as she reappeared!
“Gotcha!” Micky said triumphantly. Elizabeth let out a surprised squeal as Micky picked her up and put her over his shoulder, then began to climb up the rocks to the top.
Elizabeth of course could’ve disappeared again, but instead let Micky carry her up to the top.
“Oh, heavens!” She said dramatically, “What are going to do to me, you...you beast?!”
“That’s Mr. Beast to you!” Micky said laughing evilly.
Getting to the top rock, Micky knelt and gently placed Elizabeth down, then sat next to her. He took her hand and kissed it.
“What am I going to do with you?” He asked, “Hmmm...I’m going to tell you how much I love you, adore you, think about you day and night,” He paused and kissed Elizabeth’s lips, “...And ask you to marry me.”
Elizabeth gave him a sad smile. She leaned over and gave Micky a kiss that sent electricity down his spine. The angel then looked down at her hands.
“You know I can’t do that, Micky.” Elizabeth said softly. “I love you very much, but we are of two different worlds.”
Micky took Elizabeth in his arms. He knew it was true. She was an angel of God, sent by him to help those in need, to bring back others to God. The angel couldn’t be led astray by Earthly temptations, lest she fall and lose God’s grace. Still it hurt that he finally felt he found his one true love…and he couldn’t have her.
“In all the centuries you’ve been on Earth, Elizabeth.” Micky asked her. “Were there others you fell in love with?”
“Yes, there were a few.” Elizabeth told him. “When I was mortal, I loved men as long as they had money.”
Micky nodded, remembering that Elizabeth was a Madam in France during the middle ages, providing women for the wealthy and powerful.
“Then, when I started my assignments on Earth,” Elizabeth continued, “I fell in love for real a few times. And they loved me, but I always had to leave, to move on. It really was better that way.”
“Why is that, dear?” Micky asked.
Elizabeth looked Micky in the eye. “You can’t imagine, with your short life span, how hard it is to see people you love, admire and made friends with die? Time and time again? And you’re still alive?” Tears began to fall down her cheeks. “Micky, sweet Micky, you’re going to get old, and die…and I’ll still be here, still the same age and alone again!”
Elizabeth began to sob. Micky pulled her close to him and held her tight. He never thought of the downsides of living a long life like hers. Micky kissed the top of her head and gently rocked her until her sobs subsided.
“Honey, I’m so sorry I upset you.” Micky told her. “I’d never hurt you.”
“I know that, Micky.” Elizabeth said with a sniff. “I just feel that it could be different this time. From the moment you kissed me at the pad when you and the others found me on the beach, I’ve felt such closeness that I hadn’t felt in so long.”
“Am I a descendent of one of the apostles, like Mike is?” Micky asked her.
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, it doesn’t seem that way. But there is something special about you.”
Micky smiled and wiped her tears away with his fingers.
“Like I told you, Elizabeth.” Micky said, “We can work something out.”
The two of them sat on the rocks for a long time until Elizabeth looked at her watch. She let out a small gasp.
“What’s wrong?” Micky asked her.
“I’m going to be late for my new job!” The angel told him.
“What job is that?”
“I was told to get a job at the Blazin’ Hot Music store downtown.”
“Wow! That’s the grooviest record store in town!” Micky exclaimed. “They always have the latest records! They’ve helped many acts become famous! Why were you told to work there?”
Elizabeth looked down. “I can’t tell you that Micky.” She said, “I probably shouldn’t have told you that much. But it is important that I do work there.”
Micky nodded. “I understand. Let’s go back to the pad.”
Micky and Elizabeth climbed down the rocks and went back to the pad. Once there, they found Mike, Peter and Davy sitting on the couch looking over the front page of the evening paper. They were so absorbed in reading the top story that they jumped in fright when Micky and Elizabeth came over to them.
“Hey, what’s up?” Micky asked his friends.
“Look at this headline.” Mike said somberly, turning it so Micky and Elizabeth could see it. It read:
ANOTHER TEEN SUICIDE. In smaller print underneath it read, Local Boy, 15, kills self with knife.
“Oh my God!” Micky whispered, “That’s the third kid in three weeks! What’s going on?”
He read the rest of the story where it explained that the teen, John Smith, was usually a quiet, reserved boy until a few weeks ago he began to act erratically, finally taking his own life by slitting his wrists. The police were at a loss to explain why and could find no link between Smith’s and the other two boys of similar age who also had died by their own hands.
Elizabeth just hung her head. Those boys had so much to live for, now they were gone and left behind grieving, heartbroken families. She looked at the Monkees.
“I just came back to say that I have to go to my new job.”
“Yeah, she’s gonna work at the Blazin’ Hot Music store downtown!” Micky told the others.
Elizabeth looked at him, mildly annoyed.
“Ooh, sorry, Elizabeth.” Micky said looking down at the floor.
“It’s ok, Micky.” The angel told him. “I guess it really doesn’t matter.”
“That’s a groovy place you’ll be at, Elizabeth.” Davy told her.
“I hope so, but once I’ve done what I’m supposed to, I’ll probably leave there. So goodbye, everyone, may the Lord be with you.”
“And also with you.” The Monkees replied.
The Monkees gave her hugs and kisses like before, with Micky giving the angel the biggest hug and kiss of all.
“I hope to see you soon.” Elizabeth told them, “Please take care.”
“Same to you, Elizabeth.” Peter replied.
The angel smiled and slowly vanished from sight. Mike looked down at his hand when he realized it didn’t hurt anymore. He pulled off the bandage to find his hand completely healed.

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Note: The song “Led By the Spirit” was influenced by a church song of the same name. It is copyrighted 1996 to Bob Hurd, OCP Publications.

By: Lisa Rated PG and PG-13

Peter quietly walked down the hurricane stairs in the pad and settled on the living room couch. He was alone in the pad right now. Micky was on the beach with his girlfriend Elizabeth, while Mike and Davy were doing some errands and would be away for awhile. He picked up his bible sitting on the coffee table. Randomly opening it, he quietly read a passage from John, chapter three, to himself.

‘And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.’

When Peter was done, he gently shut his bible and closed his eyes, thinking about what he had just read. He spent a lot of time reading the bible now, and was always amazed at how peaceful it made him feel. These last several months had been very life-changing, not just for him, but for his friends and band mates as well. Ever since they found the angel Elizabeth on the beach, unconscious from a fight with Satan’s demons, their lives had been changed forever. They had stopped a mad scientist from preventing the crucifixion of Jesus, then they had nearly sold their souls to Satan. Peter still shook his head at how close he had come to losing his immortal soul for eternity.

The bible he had was second-hand, recently purchased from a used-book store. Peter had sold almost all his eastern-religious books to pay for the distressed-leather bible. To the bassist it was a good deal and not only that it cleaned up the bookshelf in his room.

After a minute or so, Peter heard the front doorbell ring. Opening his eyes, he looked at his watch and smiled. She was right on time.

Setting the bible down on the coffee table, Peter got up, walked over to the door and opened it. Standing there was his girlfriend Darlene, wearing a blue sundress and sandals. Her light brown hair, now finally shed of its black dye, was hanging loosely at her shoulders. In her hand was a black purse.

“Hello, Darlene.” Peter said, “Come on in.”

“Thank you, Peter.” Darlene smiled as she walked inside.

Peter shut the door and then he and Darlene kissed, then shyly moved away. The two of them were still a little awkward around each other, but in the last few months, they began to relax more. Peter led Darlene into the living room.

“Would you like something to drink?” Peter asked.

“Do you have any iced tea?” Darlene asked, then put her fingers to her lips. “I’m sorry, I forgot you don’t drink tea anymore.” The Monkees no longer liked to drink tea ever since the evil witch Ginger spiked their tea with an influence potion to make them more susceptible to her evil.

“That’s ok, hun.” Peter said, “Would you like some coffee instead?”

“Yes, thank you.” Darlene replied.

Peter put a kettle of water on the stove while Darlene sat down on the couch. She was joined by Peter a few seconds later. Darlene opened up her purse and pulled out a small bible.

“Ready for our reading?” She asked.

“I look forward to this every week.” Peter said truthfully.

Darlene smiled and opened up her bible-only to have the front cover fall off and on to the floor.

“Oh no!” Darlene exclaimed, dismayed.

Peter reached down, picked up the cover and handed back to Darlene.

“That bible has seen better days, hasn’t it?” He asked gently.

“It belonged to my grandmother.” Darlene said, setting the cover back on the bible. “It sat in a drawer in a basement for many years, now I guess age has gotten to it. I’d get another one, but money’s tight since I just started my new job.”

“I forgot to ask, how is your new job?” Peter asked.

“A lot quieter than working at the Blazin’ Hot Music Store.” Darlene smiled, “You’re not allowed to play music in a library.”

The two laughed at that and from the kitchen, Peter and Darlene could hear the teakettle whistle. Peter got up to shut off the gas. He came back a minute later with two hot cups of coffee.

“Thank you, Peter.” Darlene said.

They sipped their coffees for a minute, then Darlene opened up her bible once again.

“Let’s turn to the sixth chapter of Luke.” She said and Peter followed suit.

“Blessed are you who are poor,” She read, “for the kingdom of God is yours.”

“Blessed are you who are now hungry,” Peter continued, “for you will be satisfied…”

“Ready…aim…”

“Micky…” Elizabeth said with a sigh.

“Fire!” Micky shouted.

He was standing behind Elizabeth, both hands on her shoulders, while the angel took aim at a rock. She pointed at a rock about the size of a baseball. A blue light came from her fingers and the rock blew to bits. Micky and Elizabeth were in a secluded cove on the beach and had spent the last hour blasting rocks to bits.

“Yeah!” Micky exclaimed, turning Elizabeth toward him. “Did you feel anything that time?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I felt no rush of power…nothing at all.” She said.

“It only seemed to happen when you were fighting someone.” Micky commented. “Like Estella, Ginger and Maggie.”

“True.” Elizabeth agreed, “Whatever gift you have only works when there is danger around.”

A few months ago, Elizabeth, an angel of God, had been in a fight with Estella the witch. When Micky had touched Elizabeth’s shoulders, the angel’s powers had been greatly magnified and Estella had been quickly defeated. Now, Micky and Elizabeth were trying to imitate what had occurred. They held hands, Micky held Elizabeth’s arms and now her shoulders, but they had had no luck so far.

“You don’t know how I’m doing it?” Micky asked.

“No, all I know is that it is a good power.” Elizabeth replied. “The Lord has chosen to bless you with this ability.”

“I hope I’m up to the task.” Micky replied.

“The Lord only gives you what you can handle.” The angel replied, brushing his cheek.

“But does this mean we’re going to be in more fights?” Micky asked, “Why would God give me this ability to help you otherwise?”

“It could mean that, Micky.” The angel replied, nodded her head, “It was God’s will that brought you, Peter, Davy and Mike to me. He has plans for us, and he’ll reveal what they are in time.”

“I have plans for us too.” Micky smiled, pulling her toward him.

Elizabeth put her head on his shoulder. “I know, Micky. But I can’t marry you, as much as I want to.”

“No fair reading my mind.” Micky frowned.

“I didn’t read your mind, honey.” The angel replied with a sad smile, “I just know you too well.”

Micky just chuckled and held Elizabeth in his arms.

Back at the pad, Peter and Darlene were finishing up their bible readings.

“That was very nice, Peter.” Darlene said, closing up her bible, “The beatitudes could teach people a lot if they would just listen.”

“True, Darlene.” Peter replied, closing up his bible as well, then kissing it. “It’s your turn to have the readings now. What day would be good for you?”

“Do you have a calendar?” Darlene asked, getting up.

“Yeah, there’s several actually, hanging all over the place.” Peter chuckled. He led her over to the nearest one with a hummingbird picture showing for that month. “We use this one to mark down when we have our gigs.”

Darlene noted the Monkees had a few days marked off, then looked at the upcoming week.

“Hmmm…I’m working every day starting tomorrow.” She said, “I don’t know exactly when I’ll be free again.”

“Busy time at the library?” Peter asked.

“Yes, we’re expecting a new shipment of books in and guess who has to help catalog them?” She smiled.

“How about the beginning of the following week?” Peter asked again, pointing at the calendar.

“Yeah, that’s my birthday.” Darlene replied.

“Oh no, I forgot!” Peter exclaimed, putting his hand to his head, “I didn’t get you a birthday gift yet!”

“You don’t have to get me anything, Peter.” Darlene replied caressing his cheek, “Let’s just go out for a quiet dinner.”

“No, I have to get you something.” Peter insisted, “Don’t worry, it’ll be nice.”

“Coming from you, I know it will be.” Darlene replied.

Peter and Darlene kissed their goodbyes and Darlene went back to her apartment. As he rinsed out the cups they had used, Peter thought about what to get Darlene for her birthday. Suddenly, he had an idea. Smiling, he put the cups away and raced over to his bedroom.

++++

That night along the docks, there was the bustle of ships coming in from every port on earth . The noise of equipment and the shouts of workers made a din which filled the air. Because of this, no one would know what was taking place.

A middle-aged white man, dressed in black and wearing priest’s white collar, silently walked along the crates along the dock. He had been following the trail of the object he wanted and now it was time to intercept it before it fell into the wrong hands. Taking a quick glance around, the priest ducked between two crates and moved to the crate he wanted. Praying that the information he had was correct, he took out a small screwdriver and began to pry open one of crates.

Suddenly, he heard a noise above the dockyard din. A deep breathing sound. Saying a Hail Mary, he pried off one of the boards and reached inside. His fingers found a small, wrapped bundle nestled among the packing material.

The breathing sound came closer and closer and the priest realized it what it was. Turning, he began to run among the boxes of recently unloaded goods. Now the priest saw shadows, shadows that did not belong to anything human. He kept running, but everywhere he turned, the shadows found him. Stopping for breath, the priest knew it was no use.

They were surrounding him.

No matter which way he ran, the priest knew he was being cornered with no way of escape. No sound of his pursuers could be heard at that moment, but he knew they were there, coming ever closer. The small wrapped bundle he held in his hand seemed to weigh a ton, but he knew he could not abandon it, or let those who were chasing him get it in their possession. He could NOT let it fall into their ungodly hands.

The priest knew his life was forfeit; but that mattered little to him; He knew his mission was dangerous when he took it, and he had already made his peace with the Lord. But the last thing he would do would be to protect the bundle in his hands, keep it from those who would use it for evil. Clutching the bundle between his hands tightly, he looked up into the night sky and prayed for guidance.

Suddenly, a rat ran over his shoe and down a path between two large containers. Without a thought, the priest followed the rat over to its home: a hole it had gnawed in a wooden crate. The rat stood by the hole and looked up at the priest and he understood.

He bent down and tried to place his precious bundle in the hole, but something was blocking his way. The man reached into the hole and pulled out an identical bundle like the one in his hand. Smiling, the priest quickly put his own bundle in the hole and looked at the rat.

“Thank you, brother rat.” He smiled.

The rat squeaked and went into its hole. The priest began to walk away, but when he turned the corner, he was confronted by his pursuers-black formless shapes with red eyes. One of the shapes grabbed the man by the collar and threw him against a crate.

“Give it to us.” A hissing voice demanded.

“No, I will not!” The priest shouted, “This knowledge is not for your eyes!”

The black shapes grew in size and descended on the priest. He screamed, but was unheard over the din of the dockyard. The black shapes came over him and he knew no more.

+ + + +

The next day, the Monkees were watching the noon news and eating lunch on the couch. On a small table next to the couch, Peter was filling a small sack with books. After a commercial, the announcer came back on.

“Early this morning,” The female announcer said, “Dock workers made a startling discovery when they found the body of a priest. The priest has been identified as Fr. John Vincent, OSM. He was found in among the crates in an unloading area. There was no sign of a struggle, and police are investigating. An autopsy will be performed later today.”

The four Monkees made the sign of the cross when they heard of the death of the priest.

“That’s awful.” Micky said sadly.

“What was he doing at the docks so late at night?” Mike wondered.

Nobody had an answer for that and Davy looked over to see what Peter was doing.

“What’s up there, Peter?” He asked.

“I’m putting the last of my eastern books in this sack so I can take them over to the book store and sell them.” Peter replied. “I think these are the last ones.”

“Wait a minute, Peter.” Mike said as he got up off the couch. “I think I have something else for you.”

Mike went up into the bedroom he shared with Micky and a minute later came down the stairs with a book in his hand.

“Here you go.” He said, handing the book to Peter. “It’s a book I’ve had for awhile about Christian Science. When I first read it, it sounded like the way to go, but now that I’ve found our Lord Jesus again, I think the Christian Science theory is all nonsense.”

“Thanks, Mike.” Peter smiled and put the book in his sack as well.

“So what book you gonna buy now?” Micky asked.

“I’m going to buy a new bible for Darlene for her birthday.” Peter replied, “Her old one is falling apart.”

“That will be a terrific gift.” Davy approved.

“Yeah, I think she’ll like it a lot.” Peter said, hefting the sack onto his shoulder. “Mike, can I take the car into town?”

“Sure, Peter.” Mike replied, “Just be home by four so we can rehearse.”

“Thanks, Mike.” Peter smiled, “Goodbye guys.”

“Bye, Peter.” The others replied.

Peter grabbed the keys from their holder near the door and went outside.

In a dark room lit with candles, which was inside large mansion in a fancy part of town, two women were waiting. One of them, a woman in her mid-thirties with short blond hair paced angrily back and forth. The other, a few years younger with long black hair trailing down her back was lounging on a sofa drinking wine from a goblet.

“Where are they?” The woman that was pacing demanded, “How long would it take them to find that book?”

“Settle down, big sister.” The other woman replied, taking a sip. “They’ll find it.”

Suddenly there was a puff of black smoke and three demons appeared in front of them. They folded their wings and bowed to the standing woman. The demon in the middle held a small bundle in its hands.

“Here you are, mistress.” The middle demon hissed, his red eyes glowing, as he held out the bundle.

“It’s about time!” The woman snapped grabbing the bundle.

“Sorry, Mistress Cynthia.” Another demon replied, “We were delayed by one of those from the…”

“Don’t speak that name in my presence.” Cynthia snarled, as she ripped the paper away.

The last of the paper came off and Cynthia looked at the book that the paper had covered.

“Holy Bible.” She breathed, then looked up at the demons. “Holy Bible!” She shouted at them, “Is this some sort of sick joke?”

“That’s the bundle he had in his hand, Mistress.” The third demon protested. “There were no others.”

“Incompetent fools!” She shouted, throwing the bible at them. The demons ducked and it went sailing over their heads. “You were tricked!”

The woman on the couch just shook her head. Cynthia pointed at the three demons.

“Get out of here!” She shouted angrily. “Lord Satan will hear about your failure!”

The three demons quickly disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

“AARRRGGHH!” Cynthia screamed, her hands balled into fists. “I wanted that book!”

“You could’ve just waited until it was delivered to the book store, you know.” The woman on the couch said, her voice slightly slurred. “You’re just so impatient.”

“Shut up, Alice.” Cynthia snapped, “Let’s hope Gwen has unpacked it by now.”

“Gwen?” Alice repeated, “She’s working at the bookstore?”

“Yes, why?” Cynthia asked.

“Gwen is as dumb as a box of rocks and not as pretty.” Alice replied, sitting up and putting her empty goblet on the coffee table.

“I know, but she has her uses.” Cynthia replied, walking over to the phone.

It was a short drive to Ye Olde Book Shoppe and Peter was able to get a parking space close by. Slinging the sack of books across his shoulder, he walked over to the store’s front window. Looking at the books on display Peter frowned, but with a sigh, he walked inside the old store. He had been to this store before, but wasn’t too happy about coming here. The only reason he did come here was that this was one of the few bookstores around that bought books as well as sold them.

The bell attached to the door announced Peter’s arrival and within moments a woman came from the back room. She winced when she saw Peter, (she had waited on him the last time he had come) but put on a smile and walked over to him. Peter also remembered the girl and with an inward sigh walked over to her.

“Hello, welcome to Ye Olde Book Shoppe.” She said in a squeaky voice, “My name is Gwen, how may I help you?”

“Hello Gwen.” Peter replied, “I’d like to sell some books.”

“Oh…will you be buying some too?” She asked hopefully.

“Yes I will.” Peter nodded.

“Ok, come over here.” Gwen said, leading him over to the front counter, “Let’s see what you have.”

Peter put the sack of books on the counter and opened it up. As Gwen watched, Peter opened up the sack and laid the books out for her to see.

“You want to sell these?” Gwen asked.

“Yes, I no longer read them, nor believe in their message.” Peter replied. “They’re cluttering up my bookshelf.”

“Oh.” Was all Gwen could say. She looked at the books and noticed ones like Autobiography of a Yogi, the I Chin and Mike’s Christian Science book among them.

She lingered over them for several seconds, wondering why Peter wanted to get rid of them. Peter finally cleared his throat.

“Oh, I can give you seven dollars for them.” Gwen told him, “And only because they’re still in pretty good condition.”

“I’ll take it.” Peter said. “I’d like to use the money on a new book.”

“What book are you interested in?” Gwen asked.

“I’d like to buy another bible.” Peter replied.

“Another one?” Gwen asked.

“Yes, for a friend.” Peter said patiently.

“Ok, I’ll show you where the bibles are.” Gwen said and led him to the back of the store.

On the way there, Gwen’s shoulder knocked a book off the shelf. Peter stopped and picked it up.

“Oh thank you.” Gwen smiled, then noticed Peter looking at the cover. “That’s one book in our best-selling series.” She said.

“Yes, I know. I saw them on your front window display.” Peter replied, frowning. “The Dirty Little Secrets Series.”

“You know of it?” Gwen asked.

“It’s a series of stories by J. Fittsimmons about four warlocks, Tom, George, Robert and Hal, who live in a houseboat in Massachusetts.” Peter replied, looking Gwen right in the eye, “They appear to be ordinary guys trying to make a living playing in a band, but actually they use magic to cause trouble.”

“Well it’s just…” Gwen tried to say.

“But using witchcraft is evil.” Peter went on, “And the four of them always seem to come out ahead, making fools out of everyone.”

“It seems you know a lot about the books.” Gwen said when Peter finally finished.

“Yes, the pastor at my church warned us about them.”

“But it’s just a story.” Gwen insisted.

“Stories aimed at the young under the guise of entertainment. Mixing good with evil. To make people think witchcraft is ok.” Peter replied.

Gwen opened her mouth to say something, but then the phone rang.

“Excuse me.” She said, glad to get away from Peter. “The bibles you’re looking for are at the end of this aisle on the bottom row.”

“Thank you.” Peter replied, and walked to where the shop girl had indicated.

Once there, Peter saw a small brown leather bible sitting on top of a pile of wrapped ones still sitting in an open box. Obviously, the bibles had just come in. He picked up the bible and flipped through it.

“Yes, this is very nice.” Peter thought, “Darlene will love it.”

He picked up one of the paper-wrapped bibles underneath it and walked back up to the counter.

Gwen ran over to the phone and answered it on the fourth ring.

“Hello, Ye Old Book Shoppe, may I help you?”

“Took you long enough to answer.” Was the sharp reply on the other end.

“Oh, I’m sorry, mistress.” Gwen answered, her voice low “I was busy with a customer.”

The voice on the other end made a dismissive sound and got right to the point.

“My demons didn’t get the package, they had been tricked. Go see if it had arrived in the morning’s arrivals.”

“I’ll check, mistress.” Gwen said nervously, “I haven’t had the chance to really unpack everything yet.”

“Well, get rid of that customer, close the shop, and look for it!” Cynthia growled, “I want it brought to me right away!”

“It will be done, mistress.” Gwen said, but by that time the person on the other end had hung up.

Gwen turned and was startled to see Peter standing behind her. He was holding a book wrapped in white paper in his hand.

“Oh, you scared me!” Gwen exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” Peter replied sincerely, “I would like to buy this bible.”

“Ok, come on, I’ll ring it up.” Gwen replied with a smile.

++++

Once again, Cynthia paced the floor of the room, her high heels making a clicking noise on the marble.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor Cin, why don’t you sit down?” Alice asked.

“I’m just so nervous about all this.” Cynthia replied, “If this book can do what it has been claimed it can do, it will put me in such good favor with the master.”

“Well, we have Keith to help us.” Alice replied. “If anybody can figure out a spell, it’s him.”

“Why thank you, dear lady.” Keith replied, walking into the room. He took Alice’s hand and kissed it. Keith Locksley was a wizard whose Potion Club, in reality a drug den, had recently been raided by the police. When Cynthia had heard what had happened, she offered to hide him at her house in exchange for doing a spell for her. The wizard quickly agreed and wasted no time in making himself at home, including romancing Alice.

“Well, is the book here yet, Cin?” He asked, sitting down next to Alice. Ignoring Cynthia’s glare, he put his feet up on the coffee table and an arm around Alice. She snuggled up next to him.

“No, not yet.” Cynthia grumbled, “I sent three demons last night to go get it, but they failed. Now I’m waiting for Gwen to bring it…and she better bring it soon.”

“She will, Cin.” Keith soothed, “I’m looking forward to seeing this book too.”

“Mistress, I’m here!” Gwen’s voice called out.

“In here, Gwen!” Cynthia yelled, rolling her eyes. Gwen could never figure out how to appear in the right place.

Gwen ran into the room, holding out a book wrapped in a bundle.

“Here it is, Mistress.” Gwen said happily.

“If this state allowed same-sex unions I’d marry you, Gwen.” Cynthia smiled, grabbing the book and ripping off the paper. Her smile turned to a frown quickly when she looked at the book’s cover and flipped through the pages.

“The beginner’s guide to Chinese Calligraphy!” She yelled at Gwen, “You idiot! This isn’t what I wanted!”

“But…but that was what the spell book was supposed to be mixed in with, Mistress.” Gwen replied, shaking. “I thought that was it.”

Cynthia backhanded Gwen across the face. “You haven’t had a thought in that empty head of yours in years!” She shouted, “Go back to that book store and don’t come back until you find it!”

“Yes, mistress. Right away, Mistress.” Gwen stuttered, and then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Cynthia threw the book onto the coffee table, knocking Alice’s goblet onto the floor where it shattered.

“I am surrounded by incompetent fools!” She yelled.

“Getting angry won’t make it appear any faster, Cynthia.” Alice replied, huddling a little closer to Keith.

“Want me to whip you up a little something to calm you down?” Keith asked.

“No thanks.” Cynthia said shortly, and then walked out of the room.

The witch went downstairs to the cellar where a large glass casket stood on a dais. Lying inside the casket was a figure surrounded by purple gas. Cynthia gently touched the top of the casket.

“Soon, my sister, very soon.” She whispered.

*

Peter came back to the pad just a few minutes before four. The other Monkees were already gathering at the bandstand.

“Hi, Peter!” Mike called over, “Have any luck?”

“Yeah, I got this nice leather bible for Darlene.” Peter replied, gently placing it on the kitchen table, “I’d show it to you, but it’s wrapped up.”

“That’s ok, Peter.” Davy said, “Let’s start rehearsal.”

So Peter walked over to the bandstand, as Mike began to pick out a melody on his guitar. Micky recognized it immediately.

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, The King of Creation…” Micky sang.

“Oh my soul praise Him for he is our help and salvation.” The others chimed in.

“I love it when Tess plays that song in church.” Davy said.

“You love all the songs she plays.” Mike teased, knowing that Davy liked the pretty church organist.

“Well, let’s start fellas.” Davy said, quickly changing the subject.

Micky smiled, then hit his drumsticks together. Mike started the opening chords to “Last Train to Clarksville.”

“Take the last train to Clarksville and I’ll meet you at the station.” Micky sang, “You can be here by four thirty, cuz I’ve made your reservation, don’t be slow.”

“Oh no no no.” The other three sang, “Oh no no no!”

After about an hour, Mike called for a break. Each of them went a separate direction. Micky promptly went horizontal on the living room couch, Peter went outside on the back porch, while Davy went into his bedroom. Mike watched Davy go inside his bedroom and wondered about the change of habit in his friend. Usually, Davy spent so much time on the phone, Mike had to enforce a time limit so potential clients could call about gigs. Now, Davy was spending less time on the phone and more time by himself. Mike made a note to talk to Davy about it, but right now something else was on his mind.

Mike walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and poured two glasses. Putting the pitcher back in the fridge, he picked up the glasses and went outside on the back porch with Peter.

“Want some Lemonade, Peter?” Mike asked, as he closed the porch door with his foot.

“Oh sure thanks, Mike.” Peter replied, taking the glass from his friend.

The two sat on the porch rail for a time, sipping their lemonade and watching the surf. Peter looked over at Mike.

“What’s on your mind, Mike?” Peter asked with a smile.

“Can’t hide anything from you, can I?” Mike chuckled.

“You usually don’t come out here unless you’re thinking about something.” Peter said, “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve been wondering about those three songs we did while we were under Ginger’s influence potion.” Mike replied, swirling the lemonade in his glass.

“We can’t perform them as they are.” Peter said, shaking his head.

“True, I was wondering if we should just forget about the songs, or maybe just rewrite the lyrics.” Mike added. “I already talked to Micky about ‘Daily Nightly’ and he said to just trash it.”

“That whole song sounded kind of weird.” Peter agreed, “What about your song ‘Salesman’?”

“I like its beat.” Mike replied, “I want to try and rework the lyrics.”

“You know, I was thinking the same thing.” Peter smiled, “In fact, I’ve been working on some new lyrics and they just might fit.”

“That’s great, Peter.” Mike replied, “What about the title?”

“I’d like to call it, ‘Preacher Man’ about our Lord traveling around healing the sick and suffering.”

Mike chuckled at that. “I think that would be a great way to turn a song about a traveling drug dealer into one about the mission of our Lord.”

“I’ll show you what I have later.” Peter promised, “So what about ‘Sunny Girlfriend’?” He asked, referring to the last of the songs, which Mike had also written.

At that question, Mike took a long drink of his lemonade to stall for time. Finally, he looked over at his friend.

“I originally wrote that song about Julia, the girl I met at Ginger’s party.” Mike told him.

Peter nodded, remembering that Mike had gone outside with Julia…then came back inside much later without his sweater.

“I remember her.” He said quietly.

“But the song turned out to be about a witch with a spell book.” Mike finished.

“So Julia could be a witch too.” Peter replied.

“We don’t know that.” Mike answered, a little defensively.

“True, but she was at Ginger’s party.” Peter replied, catching the tone of Mike’s voice, “That doesn’t speak very well of her character.” He looked at the Texan seriously, “You still feel something for Julia, even after Ginger’s influence potion has worn off?”

“Yeah I do, Peter.” Mike replied quietly.

“Remember what Elizabeth told us, we should avoid sin and even the near occasion of sin.” Peter said.

“If we obeyed that to the letter, Peter.” Mike replied, “Then we shouldn’t go out on gigs because sinful things could be going on in those clubs while we’re performing.”

“I’m just trying to say…”

“I know Peter.” Mike interrupted. He let out a sigh. “I know what you’re trying to tell me. We should avoid sinful people and situations like what happened at that party. I’m…just of two minds about this. I know I should forget about Julia, because she’s bad news, and move on, but for some reason I can’t.”

Peter looked at Mike for a long moment before he answered.

“Is it guilt, maybe?” Peter asked, knowing that he too had felt guilty over the sinful things he had done while at Ginger’s party.

Mike gave Peter a small smile. “The Lord has given you a discerning heart, Peter.” He said, “Yeah, that could be it.”

“Then just pray that you can get past the emotions you feel and learn to trust in the Lord.” Peter replied, putting a hand on Mike shoulder. “My advice is to forget about Julia and the song you wrote about her. If you don’t play it, then you won’t think about her.”

Mike just nodded. Peter then finished off his lemonade and went inside.

“Easy for you to say, Peter. You don’t dream about her almost every night.” Mike said to himself. He finished off his lemonade as well and followed his friend back into the pad.

Back at the bookshop, Gwen was kneeling down among the boxes, examining the books around her for the fourth time.

“Have you found it yet?” Cynthia’s voice behind her demanded.

“No, mistress.” Gwen replied, turning to her, “I’ve examined all the books that were brought in here today.”

“Then where could it be?” Cynthia snapped, pacing back and forth. “The information I had said it would positively be in that shipment of books!”

“That priest must have done something to it.” Gwen replied.

Cynthia’s eyes were drawn to a damaged box nearby. It was labeled ‘Bibles’ and still had the shipping label attached to its side. The witch examined the label and saw that it had arrived on the dock the night before from China and brought to the bookstore today.

“What about this one?” She asked sharply.

“Oh that one? That’s full of bibles, mistress, they wouldn’t have put the book in with them.” Gwen replied.

“It was part of today’s shipment!” Cynthia said, “Look in there!” She pointed at the box, not wanting to touch the bibles herself.

“Touch all those bibles?” Gwen replied, shivering.

“You can kill a goat and purify your hands later.” Cynthia replied, “Now do it! Perhaps that spell book was mixed in with those bibles. Open them all up, see if the book is there.”

Gwen obediently opened the box further and looked inside at the wrapped bibles. It looked like one of the bibles was missing. Puzzled, she counted the bibles inside the box and it came up one short than what was on the shipping label.

“There’s one bible missing, mistress.” Gwen said.

“Then that’s it.” Cynthia replied, her eyes growing red.

“That’s what, Mistress?” Gwen asked, not catching on.

“One item is missing from today’s shipment of books.” Cynthia said, “And the spell book is missing...”

“So the spell book was bought by someone thinking it was a bible!” Gwen finished, finally catching on.

“Very good.” Cynthia said sarcastically, “Do you remember who?” She demanded, “Who bought a bible today?”

Gwen scrunched her face up in thought, “Um, it was a young blond man. He’s come in here before. In fact today he was complaining about the Dirty Little Secrets series.”

“I don’t care about that right now.” Cynthia replied, “You say he bought a bible?”

“Yes, he did.”

“I don’t believe this…” Cynthia putting her hands to her head, “I was so close.”

“Maybe that guy will see that it’s the wrong book and return it.” Gwen said hopefully.

“Or he may just destroy it too.” Cynthia retorted. “If he complained about the Dirty Little Secrets Series he’s probably one of those goody two shoes Christians.”

“What are we going to do, Mistress?” Gwen asked.

“Project an image of the man who bought that book.” Cynthia demanded.

Gwen concentrated and soon a rough likeness of Peter’s face formed on the wall.

“Can you get it any better?”

Gwen concentrated again and Peter’s face cleared a bit. Cynthia looked at it closely.

“Hmm…he doesn’t look familiar.” She mused. “Perhaps we’ll be lucky and he’ll come back with the book tomorrow.” Cynthia said. “If not…he’ll wish he’d never entered this store.” With a puff a smoke, she disappeared, leaving a shaking Gwen behind.

*

The next day, Cynthia sat in her downtown office on an overstuffed leather chair as she looked over another manuscript. In her right hand was a red pencil and she was smiling as she was ruthlessly circling and crossing out whatever she didn’t like. The witch was the president and chief editor of the Largebottom Publishing Company. It was one of her jobs to read the dozens of manuscripts that came to her office every week. Right now, she was applying a red pencil to one such manuscript.

Cynthia’s assistant Sophia knocked on her boss’s door.

“Come in, Sophia.”

Sophia opened the door and walked inside. She had shoulder-length blond hair and was wearing a dark green mini-dress.

“Your twelve-thirty appointment is here, Ma’am.” She said.

“I’ll see her in a minute.” Cynthia replied, continuing to circle items with her pencil, “I’m editing this so-called writer’s manuscript.”

“You enjoy doing that, don’t you?” Sophia asked.

“Oh yes, It’s a blast tearing down people’s stories.” Cynthia replied, “Take this one. Too much talk, too much angst. Not to mention the plot is stupid.” She finally set down her red pencil.

“They don’t call you Cin the censor for nothing.” Sophia smiled.

“Send her in, Sophia.” Cynthia told her assistant as she tossed the manuscript back onto her desk.

“With pleasure.” Sophia replied.

A few seconds later, a young woman with dark hair and in her late twenties walked in. She smiled nervously at Cynthia as she extended her hand.

“Good afternoon, Miss Largebottom.” The woman said.

“Good afternoon to you, Miss Vaughn.” Cynthia replied, rising and shaking her hand. “Have a seat.”

The two women sat and Cynthia got down to business. She picked up another manuscript from the side of her desk and handed it to the other woman.

“Here’s your manuscript back.” Cynthia replied, “I’m sorry, but it’s going to need a lot of work before I deem it publishable.”

Miss Vaughn looked shocked. “I worked for months on it.” She replied, “What’s wrong?”

“Do you want some constructive criticism?” Cynthia asked, her hands folded on the desk in front of her.

“Yes, of Course.” Miss Vaughn answered.

“Well, there are lots of things wrong, including a plot that doesn’t work for me. Too much soul searching and not enough action.” Cynthia said.

“It would better if you made the two main characters female instead of male.” Cynthia continued, “And I also don’t like the name of the one female character you do have in there. The one named Zenobia. You’ll have to change that name. I have a friend with that name, and she might be offended by its use.”

“That’s censorship!” Miss Vaughn retorted, getting angry. “No one owns a patent on their name.”

“I have a master’s degree in English Literature.“ Cynthia replied coldly. “I know what is best for your story.”

“Don’t you preach to ME what I’m supposed to do, Miss Vaughn.” Cynthia snapped. “I’m the president and chief editor of this company! I know what is best!”

Miss Vaughn snatched the manuscript off of Cynthia’s desk and stood up. “I think this interview is over.” She said, barely keeping her temper in check. “I’ll take this manuscript someplace else, where another editor can appreciate it.”

“How dare you!” Cynthia yelled, then raised her hand. An orange bolt of light came out of it and hit the other woman. She screamed and disappeared.

Cynthia calmly stood up, walked around the desk and picked up a small black kitten.

“Oh how cute.” She smiled, “I haven’t had a black cat in over fifty years.”

Sophia came into the office. She didn’t look the least bit surprised at seeing her boss holding a kitten.

“Had another fool argue with you, ma’am?” She asked.

“Yes, some people just can’t take criticism. I think I’ll keep this one for awhile.” Cynthia said, as the kitten tried to get away. She then reached for the phone on her desk and called Gwen.

“Hello?” Gwen replied on the other end.

“Have you had any luck?” Cynthia asked, stroking the kitten’s fur.

“The man who bought the book hasn’t come back mistress,” Gwen replied, “But I think I have an idea where the book might be.”

“Go on.” Cynthia said.

“I did a finders’ spell, mistress.” Gwen said, “I burned some of the wrapping that might’ve touched the book, then I sacrificed a small goat. I put its blood in an onyx bowl and added the ashes…”

“I know how to do a finders’ spell, Gwen.” Cynthia interrupted, “What did you see?”

“When I poured the blood out, the ashes at the bottom of the bowl told me the book was only a few miles north of the bookstore.” Gwen continued.

“Where exactly, Gwen?” Cynthia asked, eyes narrowing.

Gwen swallowed before answering. “I don’t know exactly, mistress.” Gwen said, “Something is muddying the spell, I can’t see it clearly…something good or holy.”

“A church, perhaps?” Cynthia asked.

“Possibly, there are some churches in that area.” Gwen confirmed.

Cynthia was silent for several seconds and Gwen feared she had hung up, but finally the witch queen spoke.

“Very well. I’ll send my demons to look around in that area. Perhaps they can lock onto it better.”

“I hope so, mistress.” Gwen replied, trying to keep the relief out of her voice.

“You’ve done well…this time.” Cynthia told the other witch.

“Thank you, mistress.” Gwen replied, but Cynthia had hung up the phone. She then looked down at her new pet.

“I think you need a collar, don’t you?” She asked.

The kitten only gave a tiny yelp in reply.

Cynthia drew a circle with her finger on the table in front of her. A leather collar with a pentacle charm appeared there. She picked up the collar and put it around the kitten’s neck.

“There. Now you look so much better, don’t you, my little fuzzy-wuzzy?” She chuckled.

++++

Later that same day, Elizabeth and Darlene were at the beach. The two women were lying on a blanket soaking up the sun. Suddenly, Darlene heard a quiet rustle of sand on the sand dune above them.

“We’re being stalked.” Darlene whispered to her companion.

“Last several minutes.” Elizabeth confirmed in another whisper.

Without warning, Micky, Mike, Peter and Davy jumped down from the sand dune.

“Attack!” Micky yelled.

Micky and Mike picked up Elizabeth while Peter and Davy picked up Darlene. They began to carry their captives over to the ocean.

“Micky and Mike, put me down!” Elizabeth demanded.

Darlene told Peter and Davy the same thing.

“You girls want us to put you down?” Micky asked as they began to wade into the water.

“Yes!” Elizabeth and Darlene replied.

The four Monkees looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders…then tossed the two women into the ocean.

“Hey!” Darlene yelled, splashing around.

Elizabeth got to her feet, then her face grew dark. The Monkees began to back away.

“Uh, honey…it was just a joke…” Micky said, then noticed the angel wasn’t looking at him, but up at the sky over the pad.

“What’s the matter?” Darlene asked.

The angel looked at Darlene and then at the Monkees.

“All of you stay at the pad until I come back.” She ordered.

Instantly Elizabeth was gone and Darlene and Monkees suddenly found themselves standing in the middle of the pad’s living room.

“What’s going on, where did Elizabeth go?” Darlene asked.

“It must be trouble somewhere.” Micky replied.

Indeed it was trouble. Cynthia’s three demons were slowly floating over the area, trying to locate the spell book. One of them hovered and looked down at the traffic below him.

“Let’s have some fun.” He said evilly. “Let’s cause some car crashes or make rocks fall from the sky.”

“We must look for that book.” Another replied, “Then we can have some fun.”

Suddenly Elizabeth appeared in front of them. She had on her white robe and wings and glowed with heavenly power. The three demons hissed and pulled away from the angel. Elizabeth glared at the demons.

“What are you doing here, foul servants of Satan?” She demanded.

One hideous black creature spoke. “That is not your concern, angel.” He hissed, “Be gone.”

“It is my concern when the forces of darkness come among mortal men.” Elizabeth replied, “Why are you here instead of slinking in the foul pits of hell with your master?”

The demon was about to reply when another demon put a clawed hand on his arm. The first demon looked at the angel, red eyes narrowed into slits.

“You will be sorry you interfered, fool.” The demon rasped.

With a puff of black smoke, the three demons disappeared.

Elizabeth used her powers to make sure the demons had really gone, then she also disappeared from the sky.

The angel appeared back at the pad, now dressed in a blue sundress. She found the Monkees and Darlene standing in a circle, holding hands and praying.

“Peace be with you.” She said softly.

The Monkees and Darlene looked over at her, joy in their faces.

“Elizabeth!” The cried, running over to her.

“Are you ok, sweetheart?” Micky asked, taking her hand.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you all for your prayers.” Elizabeth replied.

“What happened?” Mike asked.

“There were three demons flying above the area.” The angel said, “When I demanded to know what they were doing here, they disappeared.”

“Demons?” Darlene repeated in a small voice. She took Peter’s hand.

“Yes, Darlene.” Elizabeth said gently, “They mostly stay in their master Satan’s realm, but for some reason these demons were flying around in the mortal world.”

“Maybe they were looking for us.” Davy said quietly.

“No, Satan already knows where you live, where all of us live.” Elizabeth replied, “Those demons were here for another reason…and I will find the reason.”

“Do you think they’ll come back?” Darlene asked, getting scared.

“I don’t know, but they better not.” The angel replied, walking over and giving Darlene a hug, “It is written in Psalm ninety -one, “For to his angels he has given command about you that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.” Darlene replied, “Still…is there some sort of protection or weapon we could use if they come around here again?”

“I’ll be right back.” Elizabeth smiled, then disappeared. A minute later she slowly appeared again in front of her friends. In her hands were five small plastic bottles.

“Here you are.” The angel said, handing a bottle to each of them.

“What is it?” Mike asked, shaking his bottle.

“Holy water from the shrine in Lourdes, France.” Elizabeth replied, “I just popped over there and got these for you. In case you encounter those demons, or any evil being, splash this water on them. Believe me, they won’t like it.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.” The Monkees and Darlene told her.

“Now.” The angel said, turning to the Monkees and placing her hands on her hips, “Where were we? Oh yes, you four dunked us into the ocean.” She gave them a mischievous smile.

“Oh no, Elizabeth!” The four Monkees cried out, then turned to run, but Elizabeth snapped her fingers and the four men found themselves lying on the beach, buried in the sand, only their heads and bare feet showing.

“I can’t move.” Davy told the others, can you fellas move?”

“Just my head and feet.” Mike said, then looked at Micky. “Nice going, Micky.” He said, “‘Let’s play a joke on the girls.’” He mocked.

Elizabeth and Darlene then came walking by.

“Oh look, Elizabeth,” Darlene said, “It’s the guys.”

“Hi, sweetheart. Hi Elizabeth.” Peter said quietly.

“Hi fellas.” Elizabeth said as she and Darlene sat down by the Monkees’ feet. “You four seem to be in a bit of a jam.”

“We’re sorry we dunked you.” Micky said, “Will you forgive us?”

“We forgive you boys.” Darlene smiled, “But now you’re going to have to do your penance.” She and the angel reached for the Monkees’ feet. The guys instantly realized what was in store for them.

“Oh no, please don’t tickle us!” Micky cried.

“It was Micky’s idea in the first place!” Davy shouted.

The Monkees were too busy laughing to say anything after that.

++++

Cynthia was lying on a couch at her house, gently stroking her new cat, when the three demons appeared before her. The witch quickly sat up and pushed her cat away.

“Have you found it?” She demanded.

“We have narrowed down the book’s location.” A demon replied, “It is in one of the houses next to the beach only a few miles south of the bookstore.”

“Why didn’t you retrieve it?” Cynthia demanded.

“An angel appeared and wanted to know what we were doing.” Another demon replied after a few seconds.

“An angel?” The witch repeated. Her eyes narrowing, “Go on.”

“But I had already detected the book, so I urged my brethren to leave.” The third demon said. “We will go back in human form and steal the book.”

“Yes, do that…but I know of only one angel in this area.” Cynthia said, getting up and beginning to pace. She stopped and looked at the third demon.

“Show me the area where the book is located.”

The demon stretched out its hand and a picture of the houses in the thirteen hundred block of Beachwood Road appeared on the wall.

“It is in one of those houses, mistress.” The demon told her.

“Oh I know which house it’s in.” The witch snarled, “It’s in that one!” She pointed to one of the houses whose backyard faced the beach, “Number thirteen thirty four.”

“How do you know, mistress?” The first demon asked.

“When you mentioned the angel, I knew those four accursed mortals would be involved.” Cynthia replied, “And that is where they live. But I am sure their house is blessed, you won’t be able to get the book while it is inside, so you must find another way to get it. And when you do…see to it that those mortals do not live for much longer.”

“Yes, mistress.” The three demons replied, smiles on their hideous faces.

*

A few days later, Peter was in his bedroom getting ready to meet Darlene for her birthday dinner.

“Wish her a happy birthday for me, will you Peter?” Davy asked as he watched his friend comb his hair.

“Sure, Davy.” Peter replied, as he put the comb down on his dresser and straitened his collar. Then he put the bottle of holy water Elizabeth had given him in his jacket pocket and turned to face Davy.

“How do I look?” Peter asked, holding his arms out from his sides

“Smashing.” Davy approved, “Darlene will like it.”

“Thanks.” Peter replied, putting his arms down and then noticing the book Davy had lying on his bed.

“What book are you reading now?” Peter asked, curious. “I notice you’ve been reading a lot lately.”

Davy held up the book so Peter could read its cover.

“The writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.” Peter read, “He was one of the early church fathers, right?”

“Right,” Davy agreed, “He wrote a lot of church doctrine. A very holy man.”

“Darlene says she sees you a lot at the library.” Peter pressed.

“Yeah, just trying to understand our Lord better, that’s all, Peter.” Davy said gently, putting the book back on the shelf next to his bed.

“Well, I gotta go now, see you later.” Peter told his friend.

“Take care, mate.” Davy replied.

Peter smiled and left the bedroom, only to have Davy come after him after he had gone only a few steps.

“Peter, you forgot Darlene’s gift!” Davy laughed, handing the wrapped book to him.

Mike and Micky, playing cards at the kitchen table, laughed as Peter sighed and took the book.

“Thanks, Davy. See everyone later.”

“Bye Peter, be careful out there.” Micky said in an old-lady voice.

“You taking the Monkee mobile?” Mike asked Peter.

“No, I think I’ll walk.” Peter replied, “It’s a nice day out and we’re not going far.”

He gave his friends another wave and left the pad.

As Peter walked past a row of shops, he came across a trio of gray-haired men standing in the doorway of one of the shops. Their clothes were stained and rumpled. One of them called out to him.

“Hey, young man.” He said, his voice cracking, “Can you help some world war one vets down on their luck?”

Peter stopped and immediately took pity on the men. He walked over and reached into his pocket for some coins.

“Of course I can help you.” He said with a smile.

Suddenly the men rushed Peter, crashing into him and knocking him down. One of the men grabbed the book he had in his hand. The three men started running down the street with the speed of men much younger than they looked.

Peter recovered from his shock, got up, and began to chase after the thieves.

“Stop!” He yelled after them, “Come back with my bible!”

The three men just ran faster, knocking those down who were in their way. At the next intersection, the traffic was against them, but they ran into the street anyway. There was a screech of tires as several cars had to stomp on their brakes and a bus had to swerve to avoid hitting them. The bus went up onto the sidewalk, knocking over a fire hydrant. Peter kept after the men, dodging around the melee the men had caused. He then noticed the men duck into an alley and followed them.

Standing at the back of the dead-end alley, the three men were looking over their prize. They looked up in shock to see Peter standing there.

“You didn’t have to steal my bible.” Peter said, gasping for breath, “I would’ve given you the money to buy one.”

The three men just gave Peter a nasty laugh. Then, they changed into the three demons Elizabeth had chased away! Peter backed away and made the sign of the cross and fumbled for the holy water bottle in his pocket.

“Stupid mortal.” One of the demons hissed. “This is not a bible.”

“Then…then what is it?” Peter stammered.

“The book of the Black Dragon.” Another demon replied.

“What does it matter to you?” The third demon cut in, “You will not live to tell about it!”

The demon stalked toward Peter. The Monkee tried to move, but found his legs would not respond to his commands to run. Just then two police officers, who had been told by witnesses what had happened, came over to the mouth of the alley.

“Hey, what going on…” One officer started to say, but then saw the demons and froze, along with his partner. The demon hissed at them and they took off screaming.

The distraction was all Peter needed to get moving again. As the demon came closer, Peter grabbed the holy water bottle, ripped off the top and splashed its contents on the hideous being.

The demon shrieked and backed away, rubbing at its face. To Peter’s horror, the demon’s face began to melt, further disfiguring its horrid features.

“Get him!” The water-soaked demon shouted at his partners.

The other two demons flew at Peter…only to slam into a wall of white light. They flew back in the opposite direction, slamming into the alley’s back wall. The wall of white light disappeared to reveal Elizabeth, wearing a white robe and wings, standing in front of Peter.

“You made a big mistake coming back here, foul creatures!” She snapped.

“So did you, angel.” One of the demons replied, as he stood back up.

“Never mind, we got what we came for! Let’s go!” The demon next to him said.

With that, all three demons disappeared in a foul-smelling puff of black smoke.

Elizabeth turned to a shaking Peter.

“Are you alright?” She asked gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah…but…they stole my bible, but they said it’s not a bible…” Peter stuttered.

“Wait, let’s go back to the pad, and you can tell me what happened there.” The angel replied.

“Is everyone else alright?” Peter asked, “The bus and the cars…”

Elizabeth looked over in the direction of the intersection, then turned back to her friend.

“No one is injured.” She said, “There’s some damage to a few of the cars, but no one is hurt.”

“Okay, let’s get out of here.” Peter said.

The angel hugged Peter and the two slowly faded from sight.

*

Cynthia was at home, lounging on a sofa and stroking her new pet kitten. She wore a black caftan and was sipping a potion Keith had convinced her to drink from a black goblet. Suddenly the three demons appeared in front of her. Cynthia’s kitten hissed in fright and zoomed out of the room. The witch quickly stood up when she saw the condition they were in.

“What happened?” She demanded.

“We got the book, mistress.” The demon that Peter had splashed hissed.

“Give it to me.” Cynthia said, snatching the book from his claws.

Quickly, she ripped off the paper to reveal a black leather-bound book with a dragon inside a pentacle on the front. Other unholy symbols embossed on the front cover too. Cynthia clutched the book to her chest.

“Finally.” She breathed, “At long last.” She looked at the demons. “You three have done well, I will tell Lord Satan of your work.” She looked more closely at the demon that Peter had splashed.

“What happened to your face?”

“The human Peter splashed it with holy water.” The demon hissed, “It burns!”

Cynthia waved a hand in front of the demon’s face. She winced a little, then backed away.

“I took some of the pain away.” The witch said, “He must’ve used water from a sacred well. Lord Satan can do more for you.”

“Thank you.” The demon said.

“You’re welcome, now go. There’s much work I have to do.” Cynthia replied.

The three demons vanished in another puff of smoke.

“Keith, come here!” The witch called.

The wizard walked into the room and immediately spotted the book in Cynthia’s hands.

“Oh you got it!” He exclaimed happily.

Keith rubbed his hands together and a pair of purple leather gloves appeared on them. Gently, he took the book from Cynthia and opened up the front cover. The wizard looked at the black dragon symbol on the first page and gave a low whistle.

“Oh my…the book from the legendary wizard himself.” Keith said in awe.

“It’s real, not a fake?” Cynthia asked.

“This is quite real, my dear.” Keith replied, gently turning to another page. “I can feel its energy flowing though my hands.”

Cynthia looked at the letting on the pages. “It’s in Chinese. Can you translate it?”

“Of course.” Keith replied, slightly annoyed, “It will take some time, but if the spell you want is in here, I’ll find it.”

“You mean the spell may not be in there?” Cynthia asked in shock, “This might all have been for nothing?”

Keith let out a short laugh. “Hardly, Cin.” He said, “If it does turn out that the spell you want isn’t in this book, I’m sure there’s still plenty of spells in here to cause trouble for those pathetic mortals.”

He continued to gently leaf through the pages.

“However,” Keith went on, “The resurrection spell you want has only been known by a very few people throughout human history. The Black Dragon was very well read in the art of spell-casting, but even he may not of known how to bring the dead back to life.”

Cynthia let out a deep breath. “That is a chance I’ll take. Translate that book, and if you find that spell, let me know what you need and I’ll get it for you.” She balled her hands into fists.

“I will bring my sister Ginger back from the dead.” She snarled. “Whatever it takes.”

+++++

“…Then Elizabeth brought me back here.” Peter said, finishing his tale.

After the fight, the angel had brought Peter back to the pad. After depositing him there, Elizabeth had gone to get Darlene and brought her back as well. Now, Elizabeth and Darlene sat on a couch on either side of Peter, holding his hands as he slowly told the story of his encounter with the demons. Mike, Micky and Davy were hovering close by, occasionally looking around nervously at the ceiling.

“I’m so glad you’re ok, Peter.” Darlene told him, gripping his hand tighter.

“Me too.” Peter replied, “It’s a good thing you had asked Elizabeth for the holy water.”

“And that Elizabeth sensed you were in trouble and came after you.” Micky added.

“But who is this ‘Black Dragon’ fella?” Mike asked, “Some sort of sorcerer?”

“It seems that way, Mike.” Elizabeth said, “And Peter had his spell book.”

“But what was it doing in a book shop in the first place?” Peter asked.

“Yes, that is a very good question, Peter.” Elizabeth replied.

“First a priest dies mysteriously, now this.” Davy mused, “I wonder if the two are connected.”

“A priest died?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yeah…you didn’t know?” Davy replied.

“No, I was away.” Elizabeth said, “When did this happen?”

“Last week.” Davy replied, “He was found dead at the docks…his name was…” Davy thought for a moment, “Fr. John Vincent, OSM.”

“OSM.” The angel repeated quietly, looking at the floor.

“What does OSM mean, Elizabeth?” Peter asked.

“Order of Saint Michael.” Elizabeth replied. “Father Vincent was a member of the religious order that has Saint Michael the Archangel as its patron.” The angel let out a sigh. “It looks like I have a few places to visit.”

“Elizabeth…Darlene…I was wondering if you two could spend the night here.” Peter said, looking hopefully at the angel and his girlfriend.

“We’ll be glad to, Peter.” Elizabeth said.

“Thank you.” Peter and the other Monkees replied, relieved.

Fortunately, the Monkees didn’t have a gig to play that night, so the six of them spent the rest of the evening quietly. Elizabeth stayed close by, calming them and reassuring everyone by her presence. Peter decided to bake Darlene a birthday cake. The others were a little reluctant to try it, but with a little heavenly help, the cake turned out beautifully.

When everyone was watching TV, Peter took Darlene aside and led her into the darkened kitchen.

“I’m so sorry your birthday was ruined because of me.” He said sadly.

“It wasn’t your fault, Peter.” Darlene replied, “As long as you’re safe, that’s the best birthday present I could have.”

Peter leaned toward Darlene for a kiss and she met his lips with her own, wrapping her arms around him.

When it was time for bed, the Monkees went to their bedrooms, while the angel turned two of the couches into beds for herself and Darlene. Elizabeth then changed Darlene’s clothes into a nightgown.

After Darlene said her prayers and climbed into bed, she noticed Elizabeth hadn’t changed her own clothes.

“Aren’t you going to sleep, Elizabeth?” Darlene asked a little nervously.

“Yes, in a little while.” The angel replied, “I need to spend some time alone with the Lord. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here. Elizabeth leaned down and kissed Darlene on the top of her head.

“Goodnight, Darlene. Pleasant dreams.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.” Darlene replied with a smile. She closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

The angel waved her hand and the living room went dark. Elizabeth held out her hand and a lit candle appeared in it. She placed the candle on the floor and knelt down before it, then bowed her head in prayer.

After deciding what course of action she should take, Elizabeth blew out the candle, changed into a nightgown and after saying her nighttime prayers went to sleep in her bed.

The next morning, Gwen was preparing Ye Olde Book shoppe for the day. Just a few minutes after opening, she heard the bell attached to the front door ring. The witch looked up to see a young woman with long sandy hair standing near the entrance. The woman was wearing sandals, bellbottoms, love beads and a paisley blouse. A scarf around her head and rose-colored shades completed the outfit. Gwen didn’t know what to make of the hippie, but figured she was harmless. What the witch didn’t know is that the ‘hippie’ was really Elizabeth in disguise, and was there to check out the store.

“Hello, welcome to Ye Olde Book Shoppe, I’m Gwen, how may I help you?” Gwen asked.

“Peace, sister Gwen.” Elizabeth replied, making a peace sign. “I’m looking for some books.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place.” Gwen replied, making a peace sign too.

“I’m looking for some spirituality books.” Elizabeth said, taking off her shades, “You know, something about the paranormal world around us.”

“Like spirits and ghosts?” Gwen asked.

“That’s right.” Elizabeth smiled.

“Oh, we have lots of those.” Gwen said, “They’re this way.”

Gwen led Elizabeth over to a case stuffed with books. Elizabeth noted that the bibles were in the back of the store, away from customers’ eyes.

“Here we go.” Gwen said, “You can see we have a large selection about the spirit world, also books on the occult and even how to do your own spells to contact the spirits.”

“Groovy.” Elizabeth replied with a fake smile on her lips.

“Are you interested in contacting spirits?” Gwen asked.

“I contact the Holy Spirit everyday.” Elizabeth thought to herself, but to Gwen she said, “I might be interested in giving it a try.”

“Then I recommend this book.” Gwen said, pulling a book from the shelf and handing it to Elizabeth. “This authoress knows her occult.”

“Contacting the other realm.” Elizabeth read from the cover, “By Cynthia Largebottom.”

“Want to read it?” Gwen asked, “If you don’t like it, you can exchange it for another.”

“Sure, why not?” Elizabeth said, “How many is it?”

“How many dollars?” Gwen asked.

“Dollars? No way sister, that’s so establishment.” Elizabeth replied, “I don’t use the currency from this war-loving, hateful anti-democratic state. How many beads do you want?” The angel pulled several strands of love beads out from under her blouse.

“I…um…I mean, we only take money, you know, dollars and cents.” Gwen replied.

“This place make no sense.” Elizabeth replied, “I thought this shop was more hip than this.” She handed the book back to the startled witch.

“Oh well. Peace sister Gwen.” Elizabeth said, putting on her shades and giving Gwen the peace sign.

“Yeah, same to you.” Gwen replied, returning the peace sign.

Elizabeth smiled and walked out of the bookshop. Gwen simply shook her head and put the book back in its place on the shelf.

The angel walked for several blocks before ducking into an alley. Once there, she made sure she wasn’t being watched, then slowly faded from sight.

*

Some time later, a small coupe wended its way through the California countryside. The driver was Elizabeth, now wearing a modest blue dress, white shoes, purse and hat. Even though there were no signs leading to her destination, Elizabeth had no trouble finding the place she wanted.

Elizabeth turned her car onto a small lane that led further into the California hills. After about a mile she came upon a large three-story stone building set off a bit from the road. The angel pulled into the circular driveway and parked a short distance from the front door.

Getting out of the car, Elizabeth paused for a moment to take in the fresh air and quiet surroundings. The Order of Saint Michael the Archangel had indeed picked a beautiful area to place their monastery.

Elizabeth walked over to the front door, the birds singing and the crunching of gravel beneath her feet was the only sounds to be heard. She then pulled the rope on the brass bell beside the door.

About a minute later, an elderly nun wearing a long black habit and a wooden cross around her neck opened the door and peered at Elizabeth through thick glasses.

“Yes child, how may I help you?’ She asked in a friendly voice.

“I would like to speak with Father Matthew, Reverend Mother.” Elizabeth replied, then pulled a small object out of her pocket. It was a gold coin, cut in a jagged half, one half of a cross and sword stamped on its sides.

“Kyriae Eleison.” The angel said softly, “Lord have mercy on us.”

The nun pulled out a similar coin from her pocket. It was just like the one Elizabeth had in her hand.

“Christe Eleison. Christ have mercy on us.”

“Miserere nostri, fili David” The two women said together, “Have mercy on us, O son of David.”

The two put the coins together, and to the nun’s great surprise, the two halves of the coin glowed and then joined together to form one coin! The nun looked at Elizabeth with a mixture of fear and respect as she let go of her half of the coin.

“Please come in.” The nun said, opening the door wider.

“Thank you.” Elizabeth replied as she stepped inside. She saw the fear on the other woman’s face and sent love and reassurance to her.

“Whom may I say is calling?” The nun asked, relaxing slightly.

“Elizabeth Boniface, Reverend Mother.” Elizabeth replied as she placed the newly-formed coin in her hand.

“Please come this way.” The nun said, folding her hand around the coin.

The angel walked respectfully behind the nun as she led Elizabeth down a corridor. There were a few other members of the order walking around, but Elizabeth sensed that most of the people in the building were praying or studying. The nun opened a wooden door with a cross carved on it and let the angel inside. Once Elizabeth had entered, the nun quickly closed the door and went away. Elizabeth looked around the chapel. It had beautiful stained-glass windows depicting the life of Jesus on two sides and at the back of the chapel was a wooden altar. On top of the altar was an object inside a glass case. Curious, Elizabeth walked over to the case to see it better.

Inside the red velvet-lined case was a small stick of wood, pointed at one end, and about as long as Elizabeth’s little finger.

“That is one of the thorns from the crown of thorns our Lord wore on the cross.” A man’s voice said behind her.

Elizabeth turned to see an older man with gray hair and wearing a priest’s habit standing inside the chapel door. He leaned on a wooden cane.

“Yes, I sensed its holiness right away, father.” Elizabeth replied, walking toward him.

“You can? It is one of many holy relics this order has been charged to keep safe from those who would use them for their own means.” The priest replied.

Suddenly, he threw out his right hand and splashed Elizabeth with water! The angel blinked, then made the sign of the cross. The priest looked intently at her.

“I see the holy water does not affect you.” He said. “You must truly be sent by the Lord.”

“I am, and may his name be blessed always.” Elizabeth said, wiping the water away.

“I am Father Matthew. I apologize for the sudden bath, but I had to be sure you were not a demon in disguise. We’ve had those come here, and that is why I must now use a cane. ” The priest said, pointing to his leg, then extending his hand.

“My name is Elizabeth Boniface. It is quite alright, father.” The angel replied, “I well know the tricks the evil one can use.” Elizabeth took the priest’s hand and kissed it. “Where did you get the water?”

Father Matthew showed her the small vial he had hidden in his hand. “This is water from the well at Meribah where Moses had struck the rock to bring forth water for the Israelites.”

“I didn’t know the true location of the well had been found.”

“Oh yes, it is part of our mandate to keep the holy relics and sites safe.” The priest answered. “But tell me, why has the Lord sent his messenger to me?”

“I’ve come to ask for information.” The angel replied.

The priest seemed slightly taken aback by that. “Very well.” Father Matthew said after a pause, “Please, come into my study.”

He then led the way out of the chapel and they found the old nun hovering nearby.

“It is alright, Mother Angelica.” Father Matthew said with a smile, “She is from the Lord.”

Mother Angelica fell to her knees, hands clasped together. Elizabeth helped her up.

“Please do not pay me any homage.” The angel said, “I am only a servant as you are.”

Mother Angelica nodded, but still kissed Elizabeth’s hand.

The angel smiled and let Father Matthew lead her down the hall a little. The priest limped slightly on his right leg. He opened up another wooden door and let Elizabeth inside. The study was rather small, just a desk and a few chairs. A small window looked out across a meadow. A cross and a picture of the Virgin Mary hung on the walls. There were bookshelves lining every wall, making the room seem even smaller. Elizabeth quietly sat down on an old leatherette chair.

“May I offer you something to eat or drink, my Lady?” Father Matthew asked as he closed the door.

“No thank you.” The angel replied. “But please just call me Elizabeth. I don’t deserve any honorifics.”

The priest walked further into his study, but instead of sitting in his chair behind the desk, he took the chair opposite Elizabeth.

“I find it much easier to talk to people sitting here than behind that desk.” He smiled. “Now…what information could I, a simple priest, have for you?”

“Yesterday afternoon, a dear friend of mine was attacked by demons.” Elizabeth began, “They stole from him a book which my friend thought was a bible, but the demons said it was something else.”

“What was it?” Father Matthew asked.

“They said it was a spell book of the Black Dragon.” Elizabeth replied.

“Did they get the book?”

“Yes, they disappeared with it when I arrived to help my friend.” Elizabeth said.

Father Matthew looked down at his hands as Elizabeth continued.

“Before that, a priest from your order died mysteriously at the docks. Knowing your orders’ mandate, I feel the two incidents may be connected.”

The priest sighed and looked up at the angel.

“Yes, unfortunately you are right, Elizabeth.” He replied. “Father John Vincent was a member of this order and he had been tracking that unholy book for some time. When he was found dead on the docks, we feared the book had been taken, but it seems he was able to keep it out of their hands, if only for a little while.”

“Can you tell me something about that book?” Elizabeth asked.

“The Black Dragon was originally a Buddhist monk who converted to Christianity in early 17^th century China.” Father Matthew replied. “But the trials and tribulations of the early Christian church in China weighed heavily on him and he eventually let Satan enter his heart. He used his identity to lure Christians into his confidence…then betrayed them to the authorities. Many people became martyrs because of him. Satan was so pleased with him, that he visited the false monk one night and told him several evil spells which could be used against mankind.”

“What sort of spells?” The angel asked.

“To cause earthquakes, crop failures, leprosy and other diseases.” Father Matthew replied, “But the worst one of all was the so-called ‘resurrection spell’.”

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Elizabeth asked quietly.

“Yes, it means that the dead could be raised to life.”

*

Elizabeth sat very still on her chair for several seconds. The implications of an evil person bringing someone back to life were too awful to contemplate. If someone evil like Stalin were alive again…

“I will do everything in my power to get that book back.” The angel finally said, “Or make sure that it is destroyed.”

“And we will do all we can to help you and your friends.” Father Matthew replied. “We thought that evil book had been destroyed with him when his house was set on fire, but it still survived.”

“The Order of Saint Michael goes back that far?” Elizabeth asked.

“Oh yes, much further back.” Father Matthew replied, “In the year of our Lord 1042, his Holiness Pope Benedict the ninth, in order to combat the growing evil and heresies in the world, chartered the order of Saint Michael the Archangel…” He trailed off and smiled at Elizabeth, “Why do you think he chose that saint?” He asked kindly.

“Because Saint Michael led the Lord’s army in driving out Lucifer and his angels.” Elizabeth replied.

“Yes, so it was to be with our order.” The priest said, “Our secret mission was to go throughout the world and drive out its evil by destroying anything that could be used against the church.”

“Such as the Book of the Black Dragon.” Elizabeth added.

“Yes, our charter gave us permission to destroy all that is unholy.” Father Matthew paused, “By any means necessary. Unfortunately, there were those of our order who followed that directive with too much zeal. Today, we try to use non-violent means as much as possible.”

The clock on the wall began to chime twelve. Father Matthew looked at the clock and back at Elizabeth.

“It is time for noon services.” He said, “I would be honored if you joined us.”

“Of course, Father.” The angel replied.

After the services, Father Matthew persuaded Elizabeth to stay and partake of the communal lunch. So she joined the members in a simple meal of bread, cheese and coffee, listening to the stories of their order. Elizabeth also spoke of her adventures, though she did not reveal her true self, and about Micky, Mike, Peter, Davy and Darlene.

Afterwards, as Father Matthew walked Elizabeth to the front door, he spoke once again.

“It is good that the Lord has chosen such good friends for you to help you in your mission.”

“Yes Father, once again, the Lord has blessed me.” The angel smiled.

“Your friend Micky must be truly special to capture the heart of an angel.” He said with a smile.

Elizabeth was astonished. She thought she had kept her feelings well hidden. She lowered her head so the priest wouldn’t see her blush.

“Yes father, there is something special about Micky. His soul touches mine. He also has the ability to magnify my powers, but I don’t know why or how.”

“The Lord will reveal all in time. He has a reason for everything.” Was the priest’s answer.

At the door, Mother Angelica was waiting for them. In her hands she held a small box.

“Please accept this gift from us.” She said reverently, “As a reminder of our order.”

“You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” Elizabeth replied. She opened the box and pulled out a statue of St. Michael, wearing battle armor and standing over Satan, his foot on Satan’s neck.

“It is made of Olive wood from the Holy Land.” Mother Angelica said.

“It’s beautiful, thank you very much.” The angel said.

“Would you also like your coin back?” Mother Angelica continued, holding out the coin.

Elizabeth took the coin and broke it in half once again, and handed the half-coin back to the nun.

“Thank you again, Reverend Mother.” Elizabeth said, kissing the nun’s forehead, then she turned and touched the cane Father Matthew held.

“Peace be with you, Father.” She said.

“And with you, Elizabeth.” Father Matthew replied.

The angel opened the door and left the monastery. When the door closed, both Father Matthew and Mother Angelica felt a warmth flow through their bodies. Father Matthew looked down at his leg and Mother Angelica took off her glasses.

“My leg doesn’t hurt anymore.” Father Matthew said.

“I can see clearly without my glasses.” Mother Angelica replied.

They both rushed outside to thank the angel, but she and her car had disappeared.

++++

“Cynthia! Cynthia!” Keith called out, running through the house.

The witch appeared in front of him, wearing a black nightgown.

“What is it?” She asked, yawning.

“I’ve finally translated the Black Dragon’s book.” The wizard said proudly.

“Is the resurrection spell in there?” Cynthia asked.

“Oh yes, it is!” Keith replied.

“Yes!” The witch exclaimed, giving Keith a hug. “Tell me what you need and I will get it for you.”

“Easier said than done, my dear.” Keith replied, “I think a few items will be hard to find.”

“The Black Dragon’s book was hard to find and I got it, so I can get anything.” Cynthia bragged.

Keith made a piece of paper appear in his hand. “What about an item touched by an angel?” Keith asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Come with me.” The witch said, and led Keith down to the basement. Once there, she went over to a small black box sitting on a table in a corner. Snapping her fingers, the box opened to reveal a gold angel pin sitting on a black velvet pillow.

“Ooh, nice.” Keith smiled, reaching for the pin.

“Don’t touch it!” Cynthia snapped, smacking Keith’s hand away, “Unless you want your hand burned!”

“Where did you get it?” The wizard asked, rubbing his hand.

“It was near Ginger’s body when she was found.” Cynthia replied, “So the police thought it belonged to her. I know Ginger wouldn’t have owned something like that so it must belong to that angel.” The witch snapped her fingers again and the box closed.

“Why did you keep it?” Keith insisted.

“I thought it might be useful someday if a spell called for a blessed object.” Cynthia replied. “So what else will you need?”

“Water from a tomb in Transylvania.” Keith replied. “Dracula’s tomb.”

“The great, great, great grandson of Ruha, Queen of Darkness. I can get that.” Cynthia said.

“Two ancient roman coins with Caligula’s visage.” The wizard went on.

“One of the most evil and depraved Emperors Rome ever had. I have a friend in Rome who can get those for me.” The witch replied with a smile.

“How about linen from an Egyptian priest’s tomb?”

“Not a problem.”

Keith looked at the last item on his list. “Then to complete the spell, you will need one last thing. I’m sure you‘ll have no problem getting it.”

“What is that?” Cynthia asked.

“The blood of a descendent of a holy martyr.” Keith replied, “Like say…a descendent of one of the twelve apostles.”

The witch stared at the wizard for several seconds before answering.

“You’ve got to be kidding?” She exclaimed, “How can I possible find someone related to one of them from almost 2,000 years ago?”

Keith started to laugh. “Oh Cynthia, my sweet. There’s one of them right under our noses!”

“Who?” Cynthia demanded, grabbing Keith’s shirt lapels.

“Mike Nesmith, one of those Monkee boys, is a direct descendent of Saint Thomas, one of the twelve apostles.” Keith replied, pulling Cynthia’s hands away. “I know this because he bragged about it at one of Ginger’s little get-togethers a few days before she died.”

“Then I will get his blood.” Cynthia smiled evilly.

“Oh the blood must be fresh.” Keith put in quickly, “So you’ll have to keep him alive until the ceremony.”

“Then that’s what I’ll do.” The witch said, turning to go back upstairs, “And I know just how to get him.”

++++

It was a packed house at the Vincent Van go-go. The Monkees were the headline act and they always drew a crowd. It had been a few days since Peter had been attacked and the Monkees and Darlene were still nervous about appearing in public. However, Elizabeth was there for moral support.

“I thought love was only true in fairy tales.” Micky sang from behind his drum kit, “Meant for someone else, but not for me. Love was out to get me, that’s the way it seemed, disappointment haunted all my dreams.”

Micky looked over at Elizabeth, who was seated with Darlene at a table near the stage.

“Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer.” Micky sang, “Not a trace of doubt in my mind. I’m in love…I’m a believer, I couldn’t leave her if I tried.”

Elizabeth smiled, then continued to scan the room. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The Monkees played the final chords of the song and the crowd cheered and applauded. Davy stepped up to the Microphone.

“Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.” He said, “We’re going to take a little break now. See you in a little bit.”

The crowd cheered again as the Monkees climbed off the stage. Micky and Peter went over to sit at Elizabeth and Darlene’s table, while Mike and Davy went over to the bar.

Mike and Davy had to go to the far end of the bar to get an empty space. They ordered two sodas and when they arrived, the two Monkees quietly sipped them, watching the crowd dance to the latest Beatle record playing over the amplifiers. Mike noticed Davy wasn’t flirting with the girls but was instead looking thoughtful, staring into his drink. Mike was about to comment on it when he felt a gentle tap on his left shoulder. Mike turned and was shocked as he recognized the woman standing there.

It was none other than Julia, the girl he had been with at Ginger’s party a few months ago. She was wearing a very short red velvet dress and had her hair hanging down to her shoulders. Mike’s jaw fell. Julia was just as beautiful as he remembered her.

“Hello Mike.” She smiled.

Before Mike could respond, Julia grabbed the back of Mike’s head and pulled him in for a long, lustful kiss. Mike finally recovered from his shock and managed to push Julia’s hands away from his head and her lips away from his. Davy noticed the action and his eyes went wide when he saw Julia.

“Oh, Mike.” Julia pouted, “You mean you’ve forgotten the love we shared in Ginger’s garden that wonderful night? The smile I painted on your face?”

“That wasn’t love, Julia.” Mike said, wiping his face, “That was lust, done while I was drugged.”

“Call it what you want, Mike.” Julia replied, a sly smile on her face, “But you enjoyed it all the same.”

“What are you doing here?” Mike asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, I’m just out for the evening, having a good time.” Julia replied, “Your little band is quite good. Hello Davy, how are you?”

“I’m fine.” Davy said shortly, fumbling in his pants pocket for his bottle of holy water.

“Keep your holy water where it is, I’m not here to cause trouble.” Julia smiled, noticing what Davy was doing. “I just want to talk to Mike.”

“We have nothing to say to each other, Julia.” Mike replied stiffly.

“Really, Mike?” Julia asked, “Do I really mean that little to you?” She shook her head. “Your eyes say different. I’ll bet you even dream of me.” She moved closer, noticing his reaction. “After your gig, let’s go out somewhere, renew our friendship.”

Mike stared into Julia’s green eyes. Those same eyes gazed down at him in his dreams, haunting him, almost driving him mad with desire. Mike knew he should just walk away, but instead found himself leaning toward Julia for another kiss.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the club, Micky looked around the crowded room.

“We sure packed them in again, didn’t we sweetheart?” He said to Elizabeth, but the angel didn’t answer him. Micky turned to see that Elizabeth was gone.

“Elizabeth?” He asked, looking around. “Did you two see where she went?” He asked Peter and Darlene.

“No, we were talking and didn’t see her leave.” Peter replied.

Micky looked around the club.

“Uh oh.” Micky said after a few seconds.

“What’s the matter?” Darlene asked.

“Might be trouble.” Micky replied, as he pointed at Elizabeth at the bar with Mike and Davy…and next to them was Julia!

Mike and Julia were inches apart when Mike felt a hand pulling on his arm.

“Mike, be careful.” Davy told him in Hebrew.

“Yes Mike, I’d be careful not to drink that poison.” Elizabeth said, suddenly standing next to Davy. The people around the bar near them were oblivious to what was going on.

“Oh rats, your Mom showed up.” Julia smirked. “Don’t you have a harp to polish or something?”

“What do you and your invisible friend want with Mike?” Elizabeth demanded, ignoring the jibe.

“Invisible?” Mike asked.

At that, Cynthia shimmered into view, standing next to Julia. She was wearing a dark green dress and glared at Elizabeth.

“So you’re the one who killed my sister Ginger.” She growled.

“I didn’t kill her, Cynthia.” Elizabeth replied, “She tried to kill me, and she fell from the ledge of her office window.”

“And that was after she tried to use our music for her evil plans.” Davy added.

“As if I’d take your word for it, angel.” The witch replied hotly, “You wouldn’t happen to know why ‘Ye Olde Book Shoppe’ flooded this morning? A water main under the store just happened to burst. All my occult books were ruined.”

“Gee that’s too bad.” Davy smirked.

“So you own that store?” The angel asked.

“Yes, that and many other book stores.” The witch said proudly.

Peter, Darlene and Micky then came running over. Micky stood behind Elizabeth and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Now the gang’s all here.” Julia said dryly, rolling her eyes.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about a spell book written by the Black Dragon, would you?” Elizabeth asked the two witches.

“Should we?” Cynthia snapped.

Mike cut in between the women.

“Please, let’s not argue.” He said, then looked at Julia. “We have nothing more to say to each other, Julia. Let me live my life and you live yours.”

Julia looked down at the floor.

“Very well, Mike.” She said, then looked up, “It’s your loss.”

“Perhaps you two should leave now.” Elizabeth suggested. “And leave my friends alone.”

“You haven’t seen the last of us, angel.” Cynthia promised.

Julia and Cynthia shimmered and disappeared. The angel looked at her friends.

“We’ll talk about this later.” She told them. “Go ahead and finish your set. I’ll keep an eye out for them in case they return.”

“Yeah, our break is over anyway.” Peter told his band mates. “We gotta go back onstage.”

The Monkees and Darlene nodded and started to walk back to their places. Mike stood in one place for several seconds before joining the others.

When the Monkees got back onstage the place erupted into cheers. Mike put on his guitar and idly strummed the strings, his mind on Julia, not the music.

“Mike, you’re doing the next song.” Micky told him.

“Oh yeah, thanks.” Mike smiled…then began the opening chords to ‘Sunny Girlfriend’.

“She owns and operates her own sunshine factory.” Mike sang, “Painting smiles on dolls and then on me.”

The other three Monkees just stared at Mike, not playing a note. Mike finally noticed and turned to look at his band mates.

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

“I thought we had agreed not to do that song anymore, Mike.” Peter told him quietly in Hebrew.

The crowd in front of them was getting restless, and the club owner standing near the bar was looking on in askance. Peter went up to the microphone.

“Sorry ladies and gentlemen.” He smiled, “There was a mix-up for which song we’re supposed to do next.” He then turned to Micky and Davy.

“For Pete’s Sake.” He said. “Got that, Mike?”

Mike nodded and Peter started the song off.

“Love is understanding,” Micky sang, “Don’t you know that this is true. Love is understanding, it’s in everything we do…”

Outside the club, Keith waited in the shadows for the two witches. Cynthia and Julia reappeared in a puff of black smoke.

The wizard asked. “You didn’t you get him? What happened?”

“No, I should’ve known that angel would’ve been with them tonight.” Cynthia complained.

Keith looked at Julia. “You did get some hair and saliva samples though, didn’t you?”

“Of course.” Julia smiled, “I got a little piece of him.”

“Good, then we’re still in business.” Keith said, “I want to do that spell on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. So I’ll start on plan B.”

“Yes, there’s more than one way to skin a Monkee.” Cynthia said.

The three laughed and disappeared in a flash of amber light.

++++

“So you say you’ve been having dreams about Julia, Mike?” Elizabeth asked.

The Monkees, Elizabeth and Darlene were back at the pad after finishing their gig at the Vincent. The angel was sitting next to Mike on the couch as he told everyone an edited version of what happened between him and Julia that night at Ginger’s party. Elizabeth knew Mike wasn’t being totally honest, but said nothing.

“Yeah, almost every night.” Mike replied, then looked seriously at Elizabeth, “Did she put a spell on me?”

“Yes, but not in the way you think.” The angel said, “You’re in love with her.”

“But she’s…” Mike voice trailed off, “A witch. Someone who follows Satan.”

“Yes, but as you’ve noticed, she’s also very beautiful and charming.” Elizabeth replied.

Mike didn’t reply, but just looked at the floor. The angel let out a sigh and stood up.

“Something is very wrong here.” She said, beginning to pace, “First, a spell book is delivered to Cynthia’s shop and then she and Julia just happen to show up at the club tonight.”

“They got the book, what else do they want?” Micky asked.

“Revenge?” Darlene ventured.

“That’s possible, Darlene.” Elizabeth said, “But I think it has something to do with that spell book…and perhaps something to do with Mike.” She considered what to say next. “Until this is over, until that book is either destroyed or out of evil hands, I’m going to take all of you to someplace safe where…”

“NO!”

The angel spun around to look at her friends. They were all standing up and looking sternly at her.

“No? No what?” Elizabeth asked, puzzled.

“We’re not leaving, Elizabeth.” Davy said seriously, “We’re not going to run away and hide from anyone.”

“You don’t understand.” The angel said quietly, “This is serious. Those two witches could cause a lot of problems for you.”

“If the Lord is for us, who can be against?” Peter replied.

“Besides, no matter where we go, they could use their evil powers to find us again.” Darlene added.

“I can take you to the Monastery of Saint Michael the Archangel.” Elizabeth said, “The Vicar, Fr. Matthew, has hidden people before.”

“No dice, Elizabeth.” Mike said firmly, “We’re staying put. Despite what I said to Julia tonight, I want to see her again.”

“Mike,” The angel said patiently, “I’m certain Julia was going to lead you into a trap tonight. You know what she is, why do you still want to talk to her?”

“I think there’s a passage in the second letter to Timothy.” Mike said, trying to remember, “Be gentle when you try to teach those who are against what you say. God may change their hearts so they will turn to the truth.”

“You want to try and turn Julia away from her evil?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes, I do.” Mike replied, “That would put a sharp stick in Satan’s eye.”

“Is that the only reason why you want to do that, Mike?” Elizabeth asked.

Mike paused a moment before answering. “Yes.”

“We’re all in this together, Elizabeth.” Micky told her. “We won’t let you fight them alone.”

Elizabeth was amazed at her friends’ courage. She thanked God again for such friends.

“Very well.” The angel said finally, “We’ll fight this together.”

They all joined together for a group hug. Once again, Elizabeth and Darlene spent the night at the pad in case Cynthia and Julia came around.

++++

The next day, Peter and Davy escorted Darlene to her job at the library. Though Elizabeth had let everyone continue to stay in their homes, she ordered them to stay in groups whenever possible, and keep their bottles of holy water close at hand. Davy walked slightly behind Peter and Darlene and had a book in his hand. As they walked closer to the old stone library, they saw several booths being set up on the square across the street.

“I wonder what that’s all about?” Davy asked.

“It’s the Winter fest, Davy.” Darlene replied, “Once a year, artists from all over the area come set up in the square to sell their crafts.”

The three walked into the library and Darlene turned to the two Monkees.

“Thanks again for walking me over here, guys.” She said.

“It’s ok, I had to return this St. Thomas Aquinas book anyway.” Davy replied.

“I’ll check it in for you, Davy.” Darlene said.

“Thanks, luv.” Davy smiled, handing her the book.

“You gonna be ok, hun?” Peter asked.

“I’ll be fine.” Darlene replied, “I have a bottle of holy water in my pocket.” She looked at her watch, “I have to go now, or I’ll be late. See you later.” She gave Peter and Davy each a peck on the cheek.

Peter and Davy smiled as they watched Darlene go further into the library and through one of the side doors for the employees.

“Let’s go, Davy.” Peter said “We promised Fr. Jerry we’d help clean the church.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Davy replied.

The two Monkees left the library for the church.

*

Elizabeth, dressed in a white sleeveless dress, plus Micky and Mike, slowly shimmered into view and they found themselves inside a large foyer. It had black marble floors and a wooden staircase going up to the second floor. The two Monkees immediately looked uncomfortable.

“Is this Cynthia’s house, Elizabeth?” Micky asked quietly. “And is she gone?”

“Yes and yes.” The angel replied, “The house is empty right now, so we must search for that spell book while we have the chance. I’ve nullified the evil charms around the house, so you won’t have to worry about touching anything.”

Normally, Elizabeth would never enter a private home without permission, nor take anybody along with her. However, finding that spell book was very important. The angel also knew that Mike was somehow central to whatever Cynthia was planning and so Elizabeth wanted him close by.

“Where do we start?” Mike asked.

“Should we split up?” Micky asked as well. “Cover more area that way.”

“No, we stay together.” Elizabeth replied. “We’ll start in the basement.”

The angel led the two Monkees across the foyer and behind the staircase to a door which led to a short hallway. This hallway led to a small black marble chamber. There was an altar against the wall with a candelabrum of black unlit candles sitting on its top. There was a pentacle carved into the wall behind the altar and there was a ram’s head in the middle. Micky and Mike took a step back in fear. Elizabeth glared at the satanic altar and the candles on the altar flared up suddenly then died out. She then touched the altar for an instant and then pulled her hand away.

“What did you do, honey?” Micky asked.

“Those candles will never work no matter how hard Cynthia tries to light them,” The angel replied, “And if she tries to use that altar again…well, she’s in for a big surprise.”

Micky and Mike smiled as they followed Elizabeth out the far door.

Just outside the altar room, they came to an open door with a set of stone stairs leading down to the basement.

“Here it is, Elizabeth,” Mike said, “But it’s sure dark down there.”

The angel cupped her hand and a small ball of white light appeared. She looked at her friends and the white lights appeared in their hands too.

“Groovy.” Micky smiled and gently tossed the ball up and down in his hand.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth led them down into the basement. It was totally made of stone and lit up with torches. On one side was an empty bier.

“Looks like something was lying on here.” Mike remarked.

“Yes, but what?” The angel wondered.

They looked around some more, but could not find anything useful. So, they slowly went back upstairs and Elizabeth extinguished their lights.

“Let’s go a different way.” Micky said, “I don’t want to go through that altar room again.”

So the three went in a different direction from where they had come.

They soon came to another room. This room looked more like a pantry, the shelves on the walls filled with food. Mike noticed something moving around the bottom shelf.

“There’s something moving over there.” Mike said, walking over to the shelf.

“Be careful, Mike.” Micky warned.

Moving a box of crackers, a small black kitten tumbled out to the floor. The kitten was wearing a leather collar with a pentacle charm around its neck. It immediately got to its feet and hissed at Mike.

“Hey, easy.” Mike said, “I won’t hurt you.”

Elizabeth gazed at the kitten for a few seconds, then got down on one knee and held her hands out.

“Come here, I won’t hurt you.” Elizabeth soothed.

The kitten stared back at Elizabeth for a few seconds, then slowly walked over to her. The angel picked up the kitten and began to gently stroke its fur. The kitten rubbed its face against her chest. After a few seconds, Elizabeth looked at Micky and Mike, a disturbed expression on her face.

“Let’s go back to the pad. This kitten is…”

Suddenly, footsteps were heard coming toward them. The kitten jumped out of Elizabeth’s arms and raced over to the door. The angel made herself and her friends invisible.

Keith walked into the pantry and the kitten began to hiss at him. He chuckled at the sight.

“Easy, little miss.” He said, pushing the kitten to one side with his foot. “Even wizards have to eat you know.” He continued over to the shelves and suddenly stopped, sensing something was wrong. He put his fingers to his temples and looked around. He was about to look at the place where Elizabeth, Micky and Mike were standing, when the kitten started to tug at his shoelaces. Keith looked down at the kitten in annoyance. He roughly shook the kitten away.

“Get away from me before I feed you to one of the demons.” He growled.

The wizard picked up a box of cereal from a shelf and left the room, the kitten still glaring at him. After several seconds, Elizabeth, Micky and Mike became visible once again.

“Thanks, sweetie, you really helped us out there.” Mike said, picking up the kitten and petting it.

“Let’s go, we can’t do anymore here.” Elizabeth said.

The kitten meowed and gave the angel a pleading look.

“Yes, my dear, you are coming with us.” The angel smiled. She put her hands on Micky and Mike’s shoulders and they all disappeared.

Elizabeth, Micky, Mike and the kitten appeared once again in the living room of the pad. The angel quickly took the kitten from Mike and placed it down on the floor.

“Step back, please.” She told the two Monkees.

Micky and Mike were puzzled, but did what Elizabeth asked.

Elizabeth bent down and laid her hands on the kitten for several seconds. There was a puff of white smoke and the kitten changed back into Miss Vaughn, the lady that had argued with Cynthia. She was sitting on the floor, her hair and clothes disheveled. Micky and Mike jaws dropped.

“Oh my my…” Micky breathed.

Elizabeth knelt down beside the frightened girl.

“Don’t be afraid, you’re among friends.” She said, taking the other woman’s hand. “What’s your name?”

“Margaret Vaughn, oh thank you, thank you for saving me.” She whimpered, then broke down in tears.

Elizabeth embraced the other woman in a hug while Micky and Mike could only stand there in shock. After several minutes, Margaret let Micky and Mike help her to her feet and lead her over to the couch. Mike ran over to the kitchen and brought her back a glass of water. Elizabeth put her hand on Margaret’s head and Margaret’s hair became clean and combed and her dress was pressed again.

“Take your time and relax.” Elizabeth said to the other woman. “I’m sure you have quite a story to tell.”

*

Peter and Davy walked between each row of pews in St. Mark’s church, picking up anything left behind by the congregation. So far, they had picked up three tissues, a baby rattle and a quarter. When they were done, Davy put the quarter in the poor box, while Peter threw away the tissues and put the rattle in the lost and found box in the church foyer.

“Let’s get the brooms now, Davy.” Peter said, returning to the pews.

Davy didn’t answer. He was staring at a stained-glass window of Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount. Peter quietly walked over to him.

“You’ve been staring at that window since we came here, Davy.” Peter said gently. “You stared at that window last time too.” Peter put a hand on Davy’s shoulder. “You want to do something like that, don’t you? You want to serve others.”

Davy didn’t answer, but just looked at his friend. Peter continued.

“The religious books you’re reading now. You don’t date as much as you used to.” Peter said, “Even at the clubs you don’t flirt with the girls as much.”

Davy sighed and sat down in one of the pews. Peter sat down next to him, waiting patiently for Davy to speak.

“The Lord has given you a discerning heart, Peter.” Davy said, his voice almost a whisper. “Our lives changed the day we met Elizabeth. We found the Lord. I’ve been praying to him, asking him how I can be a better servant. How I can be more than just a singer.”

“But you love to sing, Davy.” Peter replied. “To perform in front of a crowd.”

“Yes, and I always will, but now…I feel like I want to use my talents, my ability to talk about the Lord.”

This time, it was Peter who was silently looking at his friend. Davy turned to Peter and took a deep breath.

“I’ve been thinking about becoming a minister, Peter.” He said, looking Peter right in the eye. “To tell the whole world about our Lord, how great are his works, and how much he loves each and every one of us.”

Peter gave Davy a huge hug. Davy was shocked for a moment, then returned the hug.

“That’s wonderful, Davy.” Peter cried.

“You’re not mad?” Davy asked.

“Why would I be?” Peter replied, “I’m so happy for you!”

“But, if I do this, it could break up the band.” Davy said, “Mike brought us all together, we work so well on stage…”

“Mike will understand.” Peter interrupted, “When you tell him…”

“No, don’t say a word to Mike and Micky yet , Peter.” Davy said quickly.

“Why not?” Peter asked, puzzled.

“Like I said, I just thinking about it, that’s all.” Davy replied. “I have to do more praying and talking to Fr. Jerry before I make such a commitment.”

Peter nodded in understanding. “Yes, this is something that can’t be taken lightly. No man who keeps his hand to the plow and looks behind him is fit for the Kingdom of God.” He puts his hands to his mouth. “I’m sorry, Davy. I didn’t mean that you weren’t fit for the Kingdom.”

Davy laughed out loud. “I know Peter. I know what you meant.” He looked at his watch. “We better get to work, Peter. It’s almost time to pick up Darlene.”

“Alright, and don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what you told me.” Peter replied.

“Thanks mate.” Davy said as the two Monkees got up to finish their cleaning.

++++

After finishing the water, Margaret looked at her rescuers with a mixture of fear and gratitude.

“Who or what are you people?” She asked, her voice trembling a bit, “You’re not one of them, are you?”

“My name is Elizabeth Boniface.” The angel replied, “This is Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith. And if by ‘one of them’ you mean witches, the answer is no. I am an angel of the Lord, sent to help those in need.”

“And Micky and I are as human as you can get.” Mike added, indicating himself and Micky.

Margaret smiled a little at that. “It’s so good to be human again.” She said. “To walk on two legs and be able to speak.”

“Who turned you into a kitten?” Elizabeth asked, “Was it Cynthia Largebottom?”

“Yes, it was.” Margaret said, her voice low, “I went to her publishing office for a review of my manuscript. She trashed my story under the guise of ‘constructive criticism’, and when I complained, she turned me into a kitten.” Margaret eyes teared up and she began to cry again. Elizabeth put an arm around her.

“Constructive criticism?” Micky asked, “That sounds like a contradiction of terms.”

“Yeah, but we’re talking about a witch, Micky.” Mike replied with no little sarcasm, “Who knows how she thinks?”

“Makes me glad I’m not a witch.” Micky replied.

“I had to live in her house and look at all those awful things, and see such terrible creatures.” Margaret was saying.

“Can you tell us what you saw in Cynthia’s house, Margaret?” Elizabeth asked gently. “We were in her house looking for a spell book that was stolen from a priest several days ago.”

“She was very interested in getting a spell book, and I remember those demons telling her it was located somewhere on Beachwood Road.” Margaret replied, “A few days ago, those terrible demons brought her something that she was excited about. That might’ve been it.”

“Do you know where the book is now?” Elizabeth asked.

“No, I spent most of my time trying to keep out of the way.” Margaret said, “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Elizabeth said. “Would you like something to eat?”

“Yes, I wasn’t fed very much while I was there.” Margaret said.

The angel led Margaret to the kitchen table and waved her hands. A turkey dinner with all the trimmings appeared.

“Go ahead and eat, my friends and I need to talk.”

Margaret didn’t need to be told twice. She quickly sat down and dug into the food.

++++

The sky was going to dusk as Darlene finished putting away the last of her books on the cart. She was often amazed at the variety of books people were reading, some good, some not so good. Darlene’s boss, Mrs. Wells walked over to her.

“You’ve done a fine job today, Darlene. Go ahead, leave a few minutes early.” She said.

“Thank you, Mrs. Wells.” Darlene smiled.

Darlene walked into the employees’ lounge, grabbed her coat and headed out to the main library area. Through the doors, she could see across the street and over to the Winter fest that was still going on. Darlene looked at her watch again.

‘I still have a few minutes before Peter and Davy come for me.’ She thought to herself, ‘I’ll go check out the Winter fest.’

Making sure her bottle of holy water was in her coat pocket; Darlene stepped outside and walked across the street to the fest. She joined the crowd admiring the jewelry, painting and other objects for sale. At the far edge of the booths, Darlene smelled a wonderful fragrance. Following the scent, she came across a booth. This booth had several glass balls tied with ribbon hanging around the sides. There were lit incense sticks stuck inside sand-filled pots at the front of the booth. Looking closer at the balls, Darlene could see the swirls of color mixed in. They also had colored glass strips inside them.

“May I help you?”

Darlene jumped back and looked over at the source of the voice. It was an old lady with a kind face and wearing a tattered shawl who had spoken. She smiled back at Darlene.

“I’m sorry I startled you, young lady.” The old woman said.

“That’s ok.” Darlene said, “I was looking at your pretty glass balls.”

“Oh those are called Witches’ Balls, my dear.” The old lady smiled.

Darlene took a step back. “Witches’ Balls?”

“Don’t be afraid of the name, dearie.” The old lady chuckled, “Those balls are for trapping witches and keeping them away from your house.”

“Keeping them out?” Darlene asked, interested.

“Oh yes indeed.” The old lady said, “If a witch or any evil spirit tried to enter your house, it would be sucked into the ball and trapped inside by those glass strips you see.”

“How would the ball do that?” Darlene asked again.

“My son, who’s not here right now, would be able to tell you more, but when the balls are being created, a special powder is mixed in with the molten glass. Witches hate that powder,” The old lady chuckled, “And if they try to enter a home where that ball is present, they are sucked into the ball where they shrivel up and die.”

“That sounds fantastic.” Darlene marveled. “Maybe…”

“Maybe what, my dear?” The old lady asked, “Have you ever had a problem with witches?”

“Yes. I fact, my boyfriend was attacked by demons last week.” Darlene said quietly.

“Oh my.” The old lady said, putting her gnarled hands to her face. “Then you must take one of these and put it in your boyfriend’s house.” She said, reaching up and pulling a ball from its place and holding it out to Darlene. The ball was clear with red swirls and had red strips inside it.

“I really don’t know…” Darlene said as the incense smell seemed to increase around her.

“It couldn’t hurt to try, my dear.” The old lady said, “If it doesn’t work, it could be used as a sun catcher.”

“How much?” Darlene asked.

“You can have it for free, honey.” The old lady smiled.

“No, I have to pay you something.” Darlene said, pulling out her wallet, “A laborer is worth his wages.”

“Just give me fifty cents, then.” The old lady said.

Darlene gave the lady two quarters. The old lady wrapped up the ball in tissue and put it inside a small cardboard box. As she gave the box to Darlene, she gave some final advice:

“Be sure to put that ball in a sunny window so that the light will hit it and warn the witches to stay away.” She said.

“I will, and thank you very much.” Darlene replied, then looked at her watch, “I have to go meet my boyfriend now. God bless you.”

“Be safe, dear.” The old lady smiled.

Darlene hurried away. When Darlene was gone, the old lady passed through a curtain to the back of her booth. There, her features changed into that of Cynthia. With a contemptuous smirk at the body of the real owner of the booth lying on the ground, Cynthia disappeared.

*

Darlene had been waiting inside the glass doors of the Library for a few minutes when Peter and Davy came over. She came outside to greet them.

“Hi Sweetheart.” Peter smiled, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “How was work?”

“Not too busy.” Darlene replied, “My boss even let me quit a few minutes early, so I went over to the Winter fest.” She pointed across the street.

Peter and Davy exchanged looks. Darlene noticed and shook her head.

“Nothing happened and I had my holy water with me the whole time.” She said. “In fact, I have a surprise for you, Peter.”

“What’s that?” Peter asked.

“I’ll show it to you when we get back to the pad.” She smiled.

When Peter, Davy and Darlene got back to the pad, they found Elizabeth, Micky, Mike and Margaret seated on the living room couch. Margaret jumped up at the new arrivals.

“It’s ok, Margaret.” Elizabeth said, standing up as well. “They’re friends too.” The angel quickly introduced Peter, Davy and Darlene to Margaret.

“You’re human like me?” Margaret asked.

“Yes we are.” Peter replied, then gave Elizabeth a questioning look.

The angel sat Margaret back down, then looked at Peter, Davy and Darlene. “Have a seat, please.” She said, “I’ll fill you in on what happened today.”

Once the three were seated, Elizabeth told them about the visit to Cynthia’s house; about the empty bier in the basement; and how they found a black kitten, which turned out to be Margaret. The angel also told them Keith was living in Cynthia’s house too.

“So that blighter is still in the area.” Davy said, frowning.

“Yes, and his presence tells me Cynthia’s going to try out one of those spells in the Black Dragon’s book.” Elizabeth replied, “And somehow Mike is the key.”

“Why me?” Mike asked, “I’m not special.”

“You’re forgetting your heritage, Mike.” Elizabeth replied, “A descendent of St. Thomas the apostle.”

“Yeah, but…” Mike trailed off, unable to figure it all out.

“Do you have any idea what spell Cynthia might try, hun?” Micky asked.

“Father Matthew told me that book had spells to cause earthquakes, crop failures and other evil events.” The angel replied, then suddenly sat back on the couch.

“What is it, Elizabeth?” Margaret asked.

“Father Matthew told me there was one spell in that book that could really cause problems.” Elizabeth said.

“What could be worse than causing a famine?” Peter asked.

“Reanimating the dead.” The angel replied.

“You mean, bring the dead back to life?” Davy asked. “But only our Lord could do that! Look at the story of Lazarus or the widow’s son, or the official’s daughter.”

“True, but that wouldn’t stop Satan from trying.” Elizabeth said, “And Cynthia’s sister Ginger died, in fact she made a point about it at the Vincent.”

“It’s too much coincidence, Elizabeth.” Darlene said. “We just don’t know what Cynthia’s planning.”

“Yes, so we really need to know where Cynthia has that book.” The angel replied, then took Margaret’s hand.

“We’re going to need your help, Margaret.” She said quietly.

“My help?” Margaret replied, “But…you’re an angel. You don’t need me.”

“I am only a humble servant of the Lord. I’m not omnipotent.” Elizabeth replied, “And you’re the best chance of finding out what Cynthia has planned.”

After a pause, Margaret looked right at Elizabeth. “How can I help?” She said, her voice stronger.

The angel took a breath. “I would like you to let me change you back to a kitten so you can find out Cynthia’s plans.”

Margaret’s face took on a look of terror, but she did not back away. She looked at the angel for several seconds before looking down at the floor.

“You want me to go back there, to that cold, evil place?” Margaret said, her voice almost a whisper.

“You won’t be defenseless this time, Margaret.” Elizabeth replied, “I’ll put my blessing on that pentacle charm you wore. Neither Cynthia or Keith will be able to harm you.”

“I don’t know, I need to think about this.” Margaret said, then frowned. “Though you could change me back whether I liked it or not.”

“I could, but I won’t do that.” The angel said, “This is entirely your decision. If you want nothing else to do with Cynthia, I’ll understand. I’ll take you home with my blessing and that will be that.”

“Can you take me back to my apartment now?” Margaret asked, “I need to call my parents.”

“Of course.” Elizabeth said, “I’m sure they’re worried about you.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure.” Margaret replied. “I’m an only child and they tried to bring me up in the Christian faith, but I wanted nothing to do with it. I always wanted proof that God existed, so I guess you could say I was an agnostic. I left home on not so good terms and came to this area to make a living as a writer. But now…” Her voice trailed off, “Now, after what I’ve seen, I know for sure. I have to call them and let them know what’s happened.”

“I know they’ll be happy to hear from you.” The angel replied. “Come on, I’ll take you back.”

“Can you stay with me, at least for a little while?” Margaret pleaded. “I just need some company.”

“I’ll be glad to.” Elizabeth replied, helping Margaret to her feet. She looked at the Monkees and Darlene.

“Will all of you be alright by yourselves?” She asked.

“Not to worry dear, we’ll be fine.” Micky replied.

“Thank you all for your kindness.” Margaret smiled, giving Micky, then Mike a kiss on the cheek. Her kiss for Mike seemed to last a little longer.

“You’re welcome, Margaret.” Mike said, blushing a little.

Margaret told Elizabeth where she lived. The angel took Margaret’s hand and the two women disappeared.

After the they had left, the Monkees and Darlene went into the kitchen for something to eat. Darlene decided to wait until later to show Peter his surprise.

Margaret and Elizabeth appeared in the living room of Margaret’s apartment. It was dusty, but undisturbed. Elizabeth instantly made the apartment clean while Margaret changed clothes and then called her parents.

After several minutes, Margaret came out of her bedroom and sat next to Elizabeth.

“How did it go?” The angel asked.

“They were very happy to know I believe now.” Margaret replied, smiling. “Though I didn’t tell them why my sudden change. I don’t think they’d believe me.”

“Probably not, most people don’t believe there really are witches who do evil things.” Elizabeth replied, “They think it’s just stories.”

“If only that were true.” Margaret said, then took Elizabeth’s hand. “Can you help me get back to the faith once again? I don’t know what to say or do.”

“Here’s a simple prayer to get you started. It’s call an Act Of Faith.” Elizabeth replied, “Just repeat after me. “O Lord God.”

“O Lord God.” Margaret said.

“I believe in you.”

“I believe in you.”

“Help now my unbelief. Amen.” The angel finished.

“Help now my unbelief. Amen.”

The angel led Margaret through several other prayers until Margaret said she wanted to go to bed.

“Do you want me to stay a little longer?” Elizabeth asked.

“Could you?” Margaret asked. “I’m still afraid…they’ll come after me.”

“They don’t even know you’re gone.” Elizabeth reassured her, “You were just a toy to Cynthia. But I’ll stay in the living room while you sleep.”

“Do you want me to fix up a place for you?” Margaret asked.

“No, I’ll be fine. I can go without sleep if I have to.” Elizabeth replied.

“Alright, and thank you again for all you’ve done. I’ll give you my decision in the morning.” Margaret said, giving the angel a hug.

“It was my pleasure to help you, and ask the Lord to help you make the right decision for you.” Elizabeth said, returning the hug.

Margaret and Elizabeth said their goodnights and Margaret went into her bedroom to sleep. When Elizabeth sensed that Margaret was asleep, she waved her hands in a circle and a ball of light appeared on her lap. A second later, a picture of the pad appeared and Elizabeth could watch what the Monkees and Darlene were doing. It looked like it they were getting ready to set up their Christmas tree.

“Here’s the last of the tree, Mike.” Micky said, carrying an armful of fake fir branches over to him.

“Good, I got the stand all set up.” Mike replied.

“So, you boys decided on a artificial tree this year?” Darlene asked.

“Yeah, last year we went out to the woods to get a real one.” Peter said, “And poor Micky ended up with poison ivy.”

“I remember that.” Micky said, dropping the branches on the floor.

“Then I fell off the ladder trying to put the star on top of the tree.” Davy added.

“Doesn’t sound like you had a fun Christmas.” Darlene remarked.

“Not at first.” Mike admitted, trying to match up the end of a branch with the hole on the tree pole, “We were watching a boy named Melvin Vandersnoot for his aunt and were trying to teach him the meaning of Christmas.”

“Did you succeed?” Darlene inquired.

“Not at first.” Peter said, handing a branch to Mike, “Everything we tried backfired on us and then Melvin went home. It was Mike who finally realized that Melvin had been given everything except love.”

“So we called his aunt back from her trip.” Davy said, “And we all gave Melvin the love and attention he really needed.” He looked thoughtful for a moment then said, “I’ve often wondered how he’s doing today.”

“I’m sure he’s doing fine.” Darlene said to Davy, starting to hand a branch to Mike, then stopped.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Peter asked.

“I thought the long branches were supposed to go on the bottom of the tree.” Darlene said.

The Monkees stood back and looked at the tree. Sure enough, the long branches were on top and the short ones on the bottom, making the tree look upside down!

“Uh, I think you’re right, Darlene.” Micky muttered.

Mike exhaled a long sigh and began to remove the branches.

Elizabeth, watching it all from her ball of light, laughed to herself. Convinced her friends would be ok, she waved her hands again and the light disappeared. She then settled down for a night of prayer.

Back at the pad, the Monkees and Darlene finally had the tree set up properly. Davy and Mike then brought over a large box.

“Here’s the ornaments.” Davy said.

“Hey guys, I think we should wait until Elizabeth comes back to trim the tree.” Micky said. “I want her to be here, I mean, this is going to be our first Christmas together.”

“I agree. We should all be together when we do this.” Peter added.

Everyone else said the same thing. Then, Darlene realized she hadn’t shown her surprise to Peter. She walked over to the table and handed the box to him.

“This is for you, Peter.” She smiled.

“For Christmas?” Peter asked, “It’s not for several days yet.”

“No, it’s for now.” Darlene replied, “I think it’s something that will come in handy.”

Peter opened the box, unwrapped the tissue and pulled out the glass ball.

“Golly, what a pretty ornament.” Peter said in awe.

“It’s not an ornament. The lady at the Winter fest called it a witches’ ball.” Darlene replied.

“A what?” The Monkees said in unison.

“It’s not what you think!” Darlene said quickly, “It’s for keeping witches away. It’s made with a special powder that witches hate and mixed in with the molten glass. If they try to enter a home where that ball is present, they are sucked into the ball where they shrivel up and die.”

“Was this lady from a religious order?” Mike asked.

“No, she was an ordinary old lady.” Darlene said, “She also said to hang it in a sunny place, and the light reflecting from it will warn witches to stay away.”

The Monkees traded glances with each other. They didn’t believe a glass ball would keep anything away, but didn’t want to hurt Darlene’s feelings.

“If it doesn’t work, at least it’s a nice sun catcher.” Darlene added.

“I think it will, sweetheart.” Peter smiled, walking over to the bay window overlooking the ocean. He took the ball by its ribbon and hung it on a small hook on the window frame. Peter walked back over to Darlene.

“Thank you, hun. It was a very thoughtful gift.” He gave her a kiss.

“I’m glad you like it.” Darlene replied, returning the kiss.

Darlene stayed a while longer, then noticed the time and made to go home.

“I’ll take you home, Darlene.” Peter told her.

“I’ll come with you, mate.” Davy said.

“No, that’s ok, Davy.” Peter said, wanting time alone with Darlene.

“Elizabeth said we have to stay in groups.” Davy replied, “You’ll be walking home by yourself.”

“But…”

“Davy’s right, Peter.” Mike put in, “We can’t take chances.”

“Okay, you can come, Davy.” Peter said, resigned.

“Don’t worry, I’ll walk far enough behind you two, you won’t even know I’m there.” Davy chuckled.

“Goodnight, everyone.” Darlene said, shaking her head.

“Goodnight.” Mike and Micky replied.

When Peter, Davy and Darlene had left, Micky went to bed while Mike stayed up to wait for Peter and Davy. Mostly, it was out of concern for his friends, but partially because he didn’t want to dream about Julia anymore.

Peter and Davy came home a little while later and went to bed. Mike went to bed too…and once again dreamed about Julia.

++++

The next morning turned out to be cloudy, as a storm front came in from the Pacific.

There was also a storm brewing inside Cynthia’s office as well. Two women were sitting on the other side of her desk; two more hopeful authors who were finding out they did not write to Cynthia’s standards.

“How dare you write trash like this Miss Hamilton?” Cynthia yelled at the woman on the left, “How dare you write a story about the Beatles?”

“It’s…it’s just a fantasy.” The woman tried to protest.

“Yes, a stupid fantasy. One of them receives a magic guitar and suddenly, they’re some sort of elite fighting unit!” Cynthia shouted over her. “How can they save the world and still be musicians? Don’t you think someone would notice this? How dare you mess with their lives!”

“But Miss Largebottom…” Miss Hamilton tried to say, but Cynthia had turned her attention to the other woman.

“And your story, Miss Freeman, you seem to like to write about people becoming paralyzed or going blind or deaf and then getting better.” Cynthia snapped. “You must be sick in the head!”

“My story’s a hospital drama!” Miss Freeman protested, “People have to get hurt!”

Cynthia’s further tongue-lashing was stopped by Sophia coming into the office.

“Miss Largebottom?” Sophia said timidly, knowing her boss’s wrath could find her next. “Your sister is on line one, it’s very important.”

“It better be.” Cynthia replied, then picked up two manuscripts and threw them at the ladies.

“Get out of here, you hacks!” She shouted, “Do the world a favor and burn your typewriters!”

The two women hastily picked up their manuscripts and ran out of Cynthia’s office. The witch picked up her phone and hit a button.

“Yes Alice?” Cynthia asked, “I was in the middle of an important meeting.”

“The police are at the house.” Alice said quietly, “They think someone named Keith Locksley is hiding here.”

“They won’t find anybody.” Cynthia replied, her eyes growing red.

Alice looked over to look at the police officers searching the area.

“No, I keep telling them nobody by that name has been here, but they don’t believe me.”

Unnoticed in all the confusion, a little black kitten ran into the house. It was Margaret, who had agreed to let Elizabeth turn her back into a kitten so she could spy for the angel. This time however, the pentacle charm would protect her from any harm and she also had the ability to speak.

Elizabeth stood invisible across the street from Cynthia’s house. She was the one who told a friend on the police force that Keith was hiding there. The angel realized Keith would probably just disappear like he did at the Potion Club, but the raid was an excellent cover to put Margaret back into the house.

In the house, a police officer came over and took the phone out of Alice’s hand.

“Ma’am we need for you to come down to the station with us and answer a few questions.” He hung up the phone.

“Alice? Alice?” Cynthia shouted at the phone, but there was no response on the other end.

The witch slammed the phone down on its base, keeping her hand on the handset.

“That angel had something to do with this, I just know it!” She shouted, her eyes growing red. “Oh, I’ll get back at you, angel. This I swear!”

Ignoring the molten plastic lump that used to be the phone, Cynthia disappeared in an acrid puff of black smoke.

++++

A little while later, the sky finally cleared and the sun came out from behind the clouds. The Monkees had just finished a quick run-through of their songs.

“Sounding good, fellas.” Mike approved, taking his guitar off of his neck.

“I’m going to the store.” Micky said, coming down off the bandstand. “We’re out of Orange juice.”

“Someone better go with you.” Peter said.

“You’re someone.” Micky smiled.

“Okay, I’ll tag along.” Peter replied, chuckling. “As long as you come with me to get some new guitar strings and then go check up on Darlene.”

“Sure thing, Peter.” Micky replied, then looked over at Mike. “What are you two going to do?”

“I’m gonna clean up in here.” Mike said, looking pointedly at Davy.

“I think I’ll go read my bible.” Davy said quickly, heading off to his room.

Micky and Peter laughed as Mike just shook his head.

After making sure they had their holy water with them, Micky and Peter left the pad. Mike went over to a closet and grabbed a rag. He then proceeded to dust the living room shelves.

It was then he noticed the red rays of light shining around him. Mike looked over at the bay windows behind the bandstand and saw that the rays were coming from the so-called witches’ ball Darlene had given Peter. The sun was shining onto the ball and the red glass was reflecting the sun’s rays into the pad.

“That is a nice sun catcher.” Mike thought to himself as he started to dust once more.

Just then, a ray of reflected red light hit Mike in the face. The Texan immediately suddenly felt compelled to walk over to the ball. Not really sure why he was doing this, Mike walked over to the ball and raised his hand toward it.

Suddenly, before Mike knew what was happening, his body stiffened then he was sucked into the ball! Mike found himself trapped inside! He tried to move around, but his movements were greatly hampered by the glass tendrils snaking from one side of the ball to the other. Mike tried to grab the holy water in his pocket, but couldn’t reach it. He tried to call Elizabeth.

“Eliza….AHHH!” Mike screamed as a powerful jolt of power ripped through him, almost making him lose consciousness.

Mike then remembered what Darlene had said about the ball…that witches would be sucked into the ball where they would shrivel up and die. He wondered if that would be his fate as he unsuccessfully tried to move inside his glass prison.

++++

Meanwhile, a little ways down the beach, Keith and Julia were sitting under an umbrella watching the scene at Cynthia’s house unfold on Keith’s magic pocket watch. Julia was wearing a green and white checkered sundress and Keith was wearing purple bathing shorts.

“Poor Alice.” Julia said, shaking her head, “I know she wanted to be here as we capture Nesmith.”

“So did Cynthia.” Keith replied, “But now it’ll be up to us.” He angrily snapped the watch shut. “That angel does not give up. That’s twice she’s sent those pathetic mortals after me.”

“Can’t you do anything about her?” Julia asked.

“Oh yes.” Keith smiled wickedly, “After I bring back Ginger from the dead, I’ll cook up another little spell the Black Dragon has in his book.”

“What’s that?” Julia asked.

“One that will make an angel’s wings fall off.” Keith replied.

Both Julia and Keith laughed at that. Then Julia noticed the red light rays reflecting in the air.

“Ah, your little Sorcerers’ sphere is starting its job.” She said. “You sure it will bring Nesmith and only him over to us?”

“Yes of course.” Keith replied, “I used the saliva and hair you gave me when I conjured that ball so it’ll only work on him.”

A second later, Mike appeared out of thin air and collapsed onto the sand in front of them. Julia and Keith got up and walked over to him.

“Hi Mike!” Julia said, “Nice of you to drop in!”

Mike climbed to his feet. “Julia? What’s going on…” His voice trailed off as he saw Keith. “You…” Mike snarled, taking a step toward the wizard.

“Now, now Mike.” Julia chided, pulling Mike’s face toward hers. “Let’s not fight.” She gave Mike a kiss on the lips and then she, Mike and Keith disappeared in a flash of amber light.

++++

Davy was lying on his stomach on his bed reading from the gospel of Luke when suddenly Elizabeth appeared at his side.

“Where’s Mike?” She demanded.

Davy was so startled he nearly fell off the bed. “He’s…he’s in the living room cleaning.”

“No he’s not. In fact he’s nowhere inside the pad.” The angel replied.

Davy jumped off the bed and ran into the living room.

“He said he was going to do some cleaning.” Davy insisted, “Mike would’ve told me if he was going out.”

“I was over by Cynthia’s house watching Margaret when I felt Mike was in distress.” Elizabeth told Davy, “It was only for a brief instant, but it was there.”

“Can’t you locate him?” Davy asked.

The angel shook her head. “No, I can’t sense him at all.” She said quietly, “If he would only call out to me, or think my name, I could go to him.”

“Is Mike dead?” Davy said, his voice choking.

“No, I would definitely sense that.” Elizabeth replied. “I would sense his soul going up to heaven.” She looked over at the bay windows and noticed the witches’ ball, now a lump of molten glass. Stretching out her hand, the angel brought the misshapen globe over to her. Elizabeth knew immediately what it was.

“Where did this come from?” She asked Davy.

“Darlene gave it to Peter last night.” Davy replied, “She bought it at the Winter fest near the library. The woman she brought it from called it a witches’ ball. It was supposed to keep witches away.”

“It’s really a sorcerer’s sphere.” The angel said, turning the glass object in her hand.

“What’s it do?” Davy asked.

“Whatever its creator, in this case Keith Locksley, wants it to do.” Elizabeth replied. “They can release poison gas or shoot fireballs. But in this case it was used as a teleportation device. The energy used to do that melted the glass.”

“Mike’s not in there, is he?” Davy asked with a shudder.

“No, but somehow a piece of his hair or skin must’ve been used when Keith made this…that’s it. At the Vincent a few days ago.”

“When Julia kissed Mike before you arrived.” Davy finished.

“Yes, that must be it.” Elizabeth replied solemnly.

“This is my fault.” Davy whispered, putting his hands to his mouth, “If I had helped Mike with the cleaning…”

“You might be in trouble with him.” Elizabeth interrupted, “Don’t blame yourself, Davy. Cynthia, Julia and Keith are the ones responsible, and we will get Mike back.”

“Are the others ok?” Davy asked.

“Yes, they’re fine.” The angel replied. “Let’s go over to them and tell them what happened.”

Elizabeth and Davy instantly disappeared.

++++

Peter and Micky walked over to Darlene’s apartment and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Darlene called out.

“It’s Peter and Micky.” Peter said.

Darlene opened the door and let the two Monkees inside.

“Come on in.” She smiled, giving Peter a kiss, “Nice to see you both.”

“We just came over to check up on you.” Micky said.

Peter noticed that Darlene was dressed up to go somewhere.

“Are you going out?” Peter asked her.

“Yeah, I just got a call to come into work this afternoon.” Darlene replied, putting on her earrings, “A girl called off sick and I was asked to take her place.”

“Good thing we came here.” Micky said, “We can walk you over.”

“I’d like that.”

Suddenly, Elizabeth and Davy were standing in front of them. Micky, Peter and Darlene jumped back in fright.

“Elizabeth, what’s going on?” Peter asked.

“Mike’s been captured by Cynthia.” The angel said, “That witches’ ball Darlene gave you was actually a trap set by Keith to take Mike out of the pad.”

All eyes turned to Darlene. She stepped back from the others, her mouth open in shock.

“No, that can’t be true.” She whispered.

“I’m afraid it is, Darlene.” Elizabeth told her, holding out misshapen Sorcerers’ sphere for her and the others to see. “This is what’s left of it.” She then crushed the glass lump into a powder.

Darlene sank to the floor. “Oh no…no!” She began to sob. “What have I done?”

“It’s not your fault, Darlene.” Elizabeth said, kneeling down next to her, “Cynthia took advantage of your good heart and tricked you.”

Peter, Micky and Davy just looked at the floor. They knew Darlene had had good intentions, but were still upset that she had let herself think a glass ball would fight evil.

“How could you let yourself be tricked like that, Darlene?” Peter wanted to know, his voice rising slightly.

“The same way you four were tricked by Ginger, I suppose.” Elizabeth replied, looking up at him, “You were shown something too good to be true and you believed it.”

Peter, Micky and Davy looked at each other, but said nothing. Elizabeth motioned for the three Monkees to sit down with her.

“Arguing and self-recriminations aren’t going to help us now.” She said. “I know we’re all upset, but right now I want everyone to pray with me while I concentrate on Margaret.”

“Did she agree to help you?” Davy asked, as he sat down.

“Yes, she’s a kitten again and inside Cynthia’s house.” The angel replied, “So she’s our best chance to find Mike. Let’s pray that the Lord will help her be successful.”

Everyone sat in the circle, joined hands and prayed.

++++

Meanwhile, Keith and Julia were sitting on a sofa in Cynthia’s living room, waiting for Cynthia and Alice to come home. Margaret was sitting quietly next to the sofa. The wizard looked over at Julia.

“You ok? You look a little under the weather.”

“I’m fine, Keith.” Julia said.

“Are you sure, I can whip up a little something…”

Just then, Cynthia and Alice appeared in a storm of black clouds and wind. Keith and Julia stood up to greet them.

“Glad to see you two back.” Keith smiled, “I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble on my account.”

Cynthia and Alice stuck their arms out and shot lightning bolts at Keith, knocking him over the sofa.

“Next time make sure you take all your drugs with you!” Alice yelled at him. “I was busted for drug possession!”

“Hey I’m sorry, I had to leave in a bit of a hurry…” Keith began to say as he got up off the floor, but Cynthia shot another bolt at him and knocked him back onto the floor.

“You’re lucky I was able to make the charges go away, you cut-rate wizard.” Cynthia snarled

Margaret leaped up onto the arm of a sofa so she could see and hear what was going on better.

“Cut-rate wizard?” Keith shot back as he got to his feet once again, “I guess it was just dumb luck that I was able to nab Nesmith for you.”

Margaret’s eyes grew wide at the news.

“You got him?” Cynthia asked in shock.

“Yes, zapped him right out of the pad when nobody was around.” Keith smiled, “He’s safe and secured at the gathering place.” He dusted himself off. “Now, if you two are done with your hissy fits, I suggest you start getting things ready for me.”

“Alright, very well.” Cynthia said, excited. She then looked up at the ceiling. “Gwen come here!”

In the next room the wizard and witches heard the puff of smoke of Gwen’s arrival.

“In here, Gwen!” Cynthia called, rolling her eyes.

Gwen ran into the room. “Yes, mistress?” She asked.

“Summon the coven.” Cynthia said, “Tell them to come to the meeting place tonight.”

“Summon the coven.” Gwen giggled, “That rhymes!”

Cynthia backhanded Gwen across the face. “Do it and do it now!” She shouted.

“Yes mistress, right away mistress.” Gwen said quickly, holding her face. She ran out of the room.

“You really need a new assistant.” Julia remarked, shaking her head.

“I know, but her father has friends in low places.” Cynthia replied. “Let’s go, I have to ask the master to join us tonight.”

Cynthia, Keith, Julia and Alice walked into the alter room. Margaret discreetly followed behind them.

Standing before the altar, Cynthia flicked her hands at the unlit candles standing there…but they did not light. Puzzled, the witch waved her hands again but the black candles stayed unlit.

“What’s the matter?” Keith asked.

“The candles won’t light.” Cynthia replied, waving her hands again with the same result.

“I’ll bet it was that angel again.” Keith stated, “I sensed something in this area a few days ago, but was unable to pinpoint what it was.” He glared down at Margaret, who was sitting nearby, trying to look innocent.

“Never mind, I don’t need them lit to call on the master.” Cynthia replied. She raised her hands up high, and Keith, Alice and Julia did the same.

“Oh dark master, I summon thee. Answer the call of your servants.” Cynthia called out. She put her hands down on the altar…and a gusher of thick yellow liquid poured out of the mouth of the ram’s head above the altar. It splashed onto the altar and on Cynthia, who screamed and jumped away. Julia, Alice and Keith quickly moved away.

“OHHH, get this off of me!” Cynthia screamed, trying to get the sticky goo out of her hair.

Keith, Alice and Julia waved their hands and managed to make most of the foul-smelling stuff go away. Margaret smiled at the witch’s discomfort.

“Elizabeth, I will get you for this!” Cynthia screamed at the ceiling, her fist raised in the air, “I curse you, and I will make you sorry for interfering with my plans!”

Julia had more practical matters on her mind, though. “How will you summon the master now?” She asked.

“How about a sacrifice?” Alice asked, pointing a finger at Margaret.

“Yes, I think the little fur ball will do quite nicely.” Cynthia smiled, reaching out for Margaret.

Margaret hissed and began to back away from Cynthia, but ended up backing into Keith’s waiting hands.

“Gotcha! Owww!” Keith yelled as Margaret bit his fingers. The wizard dropped her.

“You’ll pay for that, fur ball.” Keith snarled, shaking his hand. He waved his other hand over the one Margaret had bitten and healed it up. The wizard then made to grab the kitten again when a voice stopped him cold.

“Oh don’t bother,” The voice said, “Animal sacrifices rather bore me nowadays. Now human sacrifices, those were lots more fun, the Aztecs were absolute masters at the practice.”

Keith, Cynthia, Alice and Julia turned to see none other than Satan, in the human form some called Mr. Zero, standing there. He was wearing a black suit and cape and carried a walking stick with a human skull on top. The three witches and wizard immediately bowed down to him. Margaret wanted nothing more than to run away from there as fast as possible, but she stayed where she was. She had to find out what happened to Mike so she could tell Elizabeth.

“Greetings, master.” Cynthia said, “We are honored that you are here.”

“Yes, I sensed something odd around one of my altars up here, so I came to take a look.” Satan said, walking over to the altar. Looking it over, he shook his head.

“Is this how you honor me, by keeping a dirty altar?” He asked.

“A thousand pardons, master.” Cynthia said quickly, “It seems the angel Elizabeth sabotaged your altar and prevented me from sending you a proper invitation.”

“Yes, that angel and those mortals she keeps around her have been giving me some trouble for awhile now.” Satan said, his eyes turning red, “But that’s not why you asked me here, is it?”

“No, master.” Cynthia said, “If you would recall, after Ginger died, I said I would try to find the Black Dragon’s spell book.”

“I do recall.” Satan replied, “And my demons told me you did find it, correct?”

“Yes, and now Keith has all the ingredients to do the resurrection spell.” Cynthia said.

“Really?” Satan turned to Keith and gave him a skeptical look. “You do know that the main ingredient is the blood of a descendent of one of the twelve apostles, don’t you?”

“Yes sir.” Keith replied, trying not look nervous, “And I have one…Michael Nesmith.”

Satan became so quiet and still, Keith, Cynthia, Julia and Alice began to back away from him, not knowing what to expect. Then, Satan began to laugh, a loud laugh that shook the rafters.

“Oh, this is so sweet!” Satan shouted, then more quietly said, “Too bad he’ll be dead, he would’ve been of great use to me, but at least his blood will further my cause!”

“Master, I’ll need Ginger’s soul from you.” Cynthia said to him.

“Very well.” Satan said with a sigh, “Though I am loath to give up even one of the millions I have, I’ll bring hers up to you. Pity really, her screams are on my top ten list.”

“Thank you, master.” Cynthia said, swallowing hard.

“Oh, and I hope this all works.” Satan told everyone, “Nobody’s been able to work that spell yet…and I hate to have my time wasted, if you get my meaning.”

“You won’t be disappointed, sir.” Keith said, “It is to take place tonight at our gathering place.”

“Very well, I’ll be there. Goodbye.” Satan said, then disappeared in a blaze of fire.

Cynthia, Julia, Alice and Keith let out a big sigh of relief.

“Well, that went well.” Alice said.

Then the altar behind them collapsed upon itself. A few seconds later the ram’s head fell from the wall and joined the smashed altar on the floor.

++++

In a dark room lit only by a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, Mike sat alone. He was strapped to a wooden chair by his arms, legs and chest. Mike stared straight ahead, but was unaware of his surroundings. After taking him from the beach, Keith had put Mike in a deep trance so he would not be able to call on Elizabeth. Further spells enacted on the room had ensured the angel would not be able to detect Mike, or at least home in on his general location, until it was too late.

Despite all the precautions however, a small part of Mike was fighting to get free. Mike’s heritage and strong will fought to get him out of his mental prison. He slowly became aware of what was going on and what was in store for him. Mike felt very alone and helpless, unable to call for help. Despair came over him and a single tear slowly rolled down his cheek.

Cynthia stood alone in the altar room, enraged at all the destruction Elizabeth’s sabotage had caused. Julia had gone back to her house to change for the ceremony. Keith had gone to prepare himself as well. Gwen ran into the altar room and gasped at the site of the ruined altar.

“What happened?” She asked.

“That angel was here, that’s what happened.” Cynthia snarled, picking up the ram’s head and used her magic to place it back on the wall. “Did you do what I told you to do?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Gwen replied, “The coven will be at the gathering place just after sunset.”

“Very good.” Cynthia said, then turned to the others. “I think it’s time to get ready ourselves.”

Margaret silently watched all this, hoping for some sort of clue to where Mike was, but the witches said nothing to indicate where they were going.

Cynthia walked upstairs to her bedroom, Margaret following behind. The kitten watched as the witch flicked her wrist and the cupboard door opened. Another flick of the wrist and a black robe with billowing sleeves floated out of the cupboard, followed by a black hat with a wide brim and a pointed top.

Cynthia took the robe and put it on, admiring herself in the mirror. She saw Margaret’s reflection in the mirror and turned around.

“You’re a curious little kitty, aren’t you?” Cynthia chuckled, “You know what they say curiosity will do to a cat, don’t you?”

Alice walked into the room just then. She was dressed in a black hooded robe, but had the hood down.

“Oh let’s satisfy her curiosity, sis.” Alice said, “Let’s take her with us. She could be our little mascot.”

“Good idea.” Cynthia replied, plucking her hat from mid-air, “At the very least, she’ll annoy Keith.”

Alice frowned at her sister, then picked up Margaret and tucked her under her arm. The kitten fought the impulse to scratch and bite the evil witch.

“Are you ready?” Alice asked her sister.

“I’ve been ready for this for months.” Cynthia stated.

With that, Cynthia, Alice and Margaret disappeared.

++++

Back at the pad, Elizabeth, Micky, Peter, Davy and Darlene were still praying when suddenly the angel gasped and opened her eyes.

“What is it, Elizabeth?” Micky asked, “Is it Mike?”

“No, it’s Margaret.” Elizabeth replied, “She’s been transported.”

“To where?” Peter asked this time.

“She’s not too far away.” The angel replied, “But I can’t get an exact location.”

“Why not?” Davy asked her.

“So much evil…there’s a convergence of evil taking place.” Elizabeth said, closing her eyes, “I can still sense her, but it’s like she’s in a fog.”

“Well, if those witches took her there, maybe that’s where Mike is too.” Darlene put in.

“Yes, everyone pray with me, so I can find out exactly where they took Margaret.” Elizabeth said.

++++

Mike felt like he was floating in total darkness. Every which way he looked was pitch black. Still fighting Keith’s spell, Mike was becoming more and more aware of what was going on around him. Mike knew he was in danger, but he was unable to form the words to think or speak to ask for help.

Suddenly out of the darkness there appeared a pair of green eyes. Mike recognized those eyes, but didn’t know why. The darkness around him began to fade, going from gray to white, the green eyes staring at him the whole time.

Finally, the white around Mike faded too and the Texan could see behind those green eyes. They belonged to a beautiful woman with dark hair hanging down to her shoulders. Mike realized he knew the woman, but couldn’t think of her name. She turned her head and looked at someone beside her.

“Isn’t he out of the spell yet?” She asked impatiently.

“In another few seconds.” The other person said, “It takes time to recover from something that powerful.”

The mental prison around Mike vanished in an instant and he gasped at the sudden clarity of thought.

“Hello, Mike.” The woman said with a mocking smile.

“Julia?” Mike asked, blinking “What’s going on, what happened to me?” He struggled in his bonds.

“Keith put you under a blocking spell so nobody, especially your angel friend, would know where you are.” Julia replied.

Suddenly Mike screamed as it felt like a bolt of lightning hit him.

“Just because I removed that spell, don’t think you can still call for help.” Keith said smugly, “Every time you try to think of your angel friend, you’ll get a nasty jolt.”

“You’re lucky I’m strapped to this chair, dirtball.” Mike snarled, fire in his eyes.

Keith chuckled, but took a step back from Mike’s chair. Just then, Cynthia walked into the room, followed by Alice and Gwen. Margaret followed a few seconds later and stayed by the door. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Mike.

“So here’s the great descendent of St. Thomas.” Cynthia mocked, standing in front of Mike. “Funny, you don’t look like anything special to me.”

“Neither do you, I guess that beauty spell of yours isn’t working.” Mike shot back.

Cynthia slapped Mike hard across the face.

“We’ll see how witty you are as you watch your blood drain from your body and into my sister Ginger.” Cynthia said smugly.

“My friends will…” Mike screamed as he tried to think of Elizabeth again, “…will find me long before then.” He gasped, “And you’ll be sorry. So why don’t you just release me and go back to that hole you crawled out of?”

“What are you, some sort of witch master that thinks he can order us around?” Alice asked.

“You think that being the descendent of St. Thomas makes you better than us, don’t you, Mike?” Keith asked him.

Mike screamed again as he tried to call on Elizabeth.

“Let’s leave the witch master to his thoughts, shall we?” Alice asked the others.

They all gave Mike a mock bow and vacated the room, Julia lingering behind. When the others had gone, Julia walked back into the room. Margaret stayed to see what would happen.

Julia stood in front of Mike’s chair, watching as he struggled against his bonds. He looked up at her.

“Please Julia, help me.” Mike said as he barely managed to suppress a scream.

“Help you?” Julia replied, “I can’t do that. My master would take such a terrible vengeance on me.”

“I’ll protect you.” Mike said. “My…” Mike screamed once more as he tried to think of Elizabeth, “My friends will protect you.”

“You mean Elizabeth will protect me?” Julia asked, “I doubt that.”

“The Lord says ‘I will take you from the hand of the sinful. And I will free you from the hand of those who would hurt you.’” Mike was becoming exhausted from his screaming.

“Oh save your bible quotes.” Julia replied, rolling her eyes, “In any case, why should I? You have nothing to offer me.”

“I love you.” Mike whispered.

Julia looked at Mike for several seconds in disbelief. Then she began to laugh.

“You love me?” She answered, “After what I did to you? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a witch.”

“I know.” Mike said, “I’m offering you a chance to get away from your sinfulness.”

“Give up my life, you’re saying.” Julia said, “Give up my fleet of cars and a mansion in the Louisiana bayou.”

Mike looked at her questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you know who I really am?” Julia asked in surprise. “You’ve never heard of the author J. Fittsimmons?”

Mike tried to think, but the pain in his head made it hard to do. Julia spoke again.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of a few of my books.” The witch said, “All the toys in your Basement? Your Uncle Sam? Piece of Pie? San Diego Nights? That’ll Be The Day That I Die? I’m sure your pastor at church warned you about them.”

“The Dirty Little Secrets Series?” Mike asked incredulously.

“Yes Mike. I’m the author of those fine books.” Julia said proudly. “In fact, I’m writing another one about how my protagonists conjure up a fake marriage certificate for Jesus and Mary Magdalene, making everyone think they were married! I think I’ll call it ‘Dirty Little Secrets, Revealed’.”

Mike just stared at Julia, unable to believe what he was hearing. The witch continued.

“So as you can see, I have fame, wealth and the adulation of millions. Why should I give it all up for you?”

“You have all that material wealth.” Mike stated, “But you’ve lost your eternal soul. Do you really like being at Satan’s beck and call? Not having a life of your own? Are you really happy?”

“Of course I’m happy!” Julia exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air, “I have it all!”

“Do you have love?” Mike insisted, “Someone who really cares about you? I can give you that.”

“We had that in Ginger’s garden, Mike.” Julia replied.

“I told you before Julia,” Mike said, “That was lust, not love.”

“Perhaps.” Julia said, looking coy, “But it was wonderful anyway…and productive.”

“What do you mean by that?” Mike demanded.

“Nothing, Mike.” Julia said, “It doesn’t matter now.”

“Tell me!” Mike shouted.

Julia sighed, then came closer to him. “It’s a shame really, that you have to die Mike. You were a very good lover. But you’ll never get the chance now to see your child.”

Mike stared dumbfounded at the witch. “Are you saying…”

“Yes Mike, I’m pregnant. With your baby.” Julia said slowly, brushing her hand against his cheek. The pain and redness of Cynthia’s slap went away.

“No, you’re lying.” Mike said, his mouth going dry.

“No I’m not, Mike.” Julia replied, “That time with you was the first in a long time and I have had nobody since then.”

“See, that’s what I mean.” Mike said quickly, “You haven’t had any love, just sex. I can change that! We could be together with our child!”

“You’re crazy.” Julia said, backing away from Mike and shaking her head.

“Crazy in love.” Mike said, “I have been dreaming about you, almost every night! Your green eyes staring down at me.”

“Is that so?” Julia replied, looking perturbed. “I dream about you too…I’m looking down on you while you sleep…” She backed away from him. “I have to go now. Perhaps…maybe…we could’ve had a life together, but it’s too late now.”

“No it’s not, Julia.” Mike said, but Julia began to quickly walk away.

“Julia, come back!” Mike called after her, but Julia was gone.

Mike screamed again as he tried to call on Elizabeth, then he let his chin fall on his chest and began to sob.

Margaret scampered over to Mike’s chair.

“Mike?” She said, but there was no answer.

“Mike!” Margaret called out, but he didn’t hear her.

Backing up a little, Margaret ran and made a flying leap onto Mike’s pants leg. Using her claws, she was able to climb up onto his knee, then his lap.

Mike felt the movement and looked down to see Margaret staring up at him.

“Margaret? Is that you?” He asked.

“Yes, it’s me Mike.” Margaret said. Even though she could talk, Margaret still had the vocal chords of a kitten, so her voice was quiet. “I’m so sorry about this.” She nuzzled his hand.

“Please…” Mike then screamed once again. “Get…help.”

“How? I have no idea how to get out of here or where we are!” Margaret exclaimed.

“You gotta try.” Mike gasped, “Please…think of…” Mike screamed once again.

“I’ve tried to call on Elizabeth, but she hasn’t responded.” Margaret said. “Oh, if I was only human again.”

“An idea. Both of us try…to call…” Mike said, barely able to speak.

Margaret climbed up on Mike’s shoulder and rested her head on his. “Okay, let’s try it.”

“Eliza…” Mike and Margaret started to call out, but Mike screamed once again and lost consciousness. Margaret almost fell to the ground. Cynthia and Keith walked in just then.

“What are you doing, hairball?” Cynthia snapped. “Get out of this room and don’t let us catch you in here again!”

Margaret didn’t need to be told twice. She jumped off of Mike’s shoulder and raced out of the room.

++++

Back at Darlene’s apartment, Elizabeth let out a cry and slumped toward Micky.

“Elizabeth, what’s wrong?” Micky asked, catching the angel and setting her upright.

“It’s Mike. It’s Mike and Margaret.” The angel said quickly, “They both called out together.”

“You know where they are?” Peter asked hopefully.

“I have a more exact location now.” Elizabeth said, “I have to go…Mike’s in pain.” She got to her feet.

“Don’t you mean, ‘we’ have to go Elizabeth?” Davy asked as he and the others got to their feet as well.

“Oh no, I can’t risk your lives.” The angel said, “This is my job on Earth, to help out those in need.”

“Mike’s our friend and we’re going to save him.” Micky said, “Remember that power I have? I can use it to help you.”

“What power?” Darlene asked, looking at the other Monkees.

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Davy said, looking hard at Micky. Peter just stared at the drummer.

“Micky can amplify my powers.” Elizabeth said. “But only if I’m fighting someone, like I did with Estelle at the Blazin’ Hot Music Store.”

“But how…?” Peter began to ask, but Elizabeth cut him off.

“I don’t know Peter, and we don’t have time to talk about it.” She said, “If all of you want to come, then you have to promise to listen to me. Am I clear?”

Peter, Davy and Darlene nodded their heads. “Yes, Elizabeth.”

“I’ll be right behind you.” Micky said, going behind the angel and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Alright, does everyone have their holy water bottles?” Elizabeth asked.

Everyone showed her their full bottles. Elizabeth closed her eyes and put her hands together.